Daddy's Little Princess
by PrettyInPink85
Summary: What if August had never gone through the wardrobe in the first place, and Charming went through with Emma instead? It's basically my idea of what would happen with a little help my reviewers... Rated T cause I'm paranoid. It's my first try at a fanfic, so don't be mean!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon A Time... I wish I did, though**

Daddy's Little Princess

Third Person POV

Chapter 1: The Curse

"My king!" The Blue fairy exclaimed as she rushed in the bedroom. The family of Snow White, Prince Charming, and their newborn baby, Emma, were waiting for the magic wardrobe to be finished. Snow White was supposed to go through alone while she was still pregnant, but Emma came early. "I have been told that the wardrobe has enough magic to protect two. One of you can go with Emma."

"You have to go." Snow White told Prince Charming. "You have to protect Emma from Regina's curse."

"I won't leave you." Charming protested, but Snow White just shook her head and handed Emma to her father.

"If she's the only one that can save us, first you have to save her. You're good at saving princesses." Snow said with a regretful smile. Emma would have to grow up without her mother, but at least she'd have her father. Charming would protect Emma with his dying breath. Whatever Regina considered justice and revenge, everyone else considered unfair torture.

"I will find you." Charming vowed with tears in his eyes as he left. "I will always find you."

The bells from the castle's defensives wall chimed, signaling the arrival of the curse. The sky turned a gray-purplish color and it covered all the land like a blanket. It was almost hopeless for all the creatures in the Enchanted Forest, and their only savior was a small baby. Charming weighed the options in his head. Growing up as a cursed family with no hope, or their daughter growing up without them. He took Emma from her mother's arms and ran out the door.

Down the hall, knights of the evil Queen Regina waited to kill the prince, and then Snow White. They didn't know that the baby nestled in Prince Charming's arms was the Savior. Regina didn't even know.

The knights rushed at him and Charming drew his sword. The metal _clang _of crashing swords echoed through the palace, or what hadn't been destroyed by the curse. Charming could only hope the wardrobe hadn't been destroyed yet.

Charming drove the sword through the knight's stomach, and he went down. Another knight cut Charming's face, but he didn't dare drop Emma. He couldn't put her down. They _had _to get to the wardrobe. More and more knights kept coming, but Charming defeated them all. He was slightly injured, but baby Emma was unharmed. He breathed a sigh of relief as Emma was put in the wardrobe. When she disappeared, he knew she was in the new world, the safe world.

Suddenly, Queen Regina stormed into the hall, and Charming walked away from the wardrobe. He was done running from her, done hiding. It was time to face her head-on.

"Well, I found half the happy couple." Regina said with a death glare. In this case, _death _could be literal. "Where is Snow?" Regina snarled, hands raised and prepared to do magic. She had magic and would wield it mercilessly. No sword would stop it, and she was much more powerful. Regardless, he swung his sword, and hit Regina across the face. She sent the sword flying across the room, leaving Charming defenseless. Anyone knew better than to go hand-to-hand with a sorceress or sorcerer.

Charming made a snap decision. His weapon was too far away, and he still had to protect Emma. He ran for the wardrobe.

"You'll never find Snow." Charming said and went in the wardrobe. He could feel Regina pound on the doors, trying to open them. Color flooded Charming's vision, flashes of light almost blinded him and suddenly it stopped.

He was standing in a tree. It was a broken old oak tree with a hole in the middle of the trunk. The tree cracked and started to topple over with Charming and baby Emma still inside. Charming grabbed Emma and jumped out of the tree. Within seconds of them leaving the tree, it fell over, or at least the top half did. It left behind an empty, ugly, cracked stump. Just like a dead tree would leave.

Charming just stood there a minute, looking at the stump of the tree. The last link to his world, and it was gone in a flash. His last link to Snow.

Baby Emma began to cry, and Charming looked around for something to soothe his daughter. Nothing was useful at all.

"Let's find the nearest kingdom Emma. We'll explain everything to the king." Charming said, more talking to himself than Emma. He had to have a plan, a course of action. That was exactly what he had now. Charming started to walk out of the woods, cradling a crying baby. One that was to save them all.

**A/N: So yeah. Do you like it? I need Reviews to keep me going! If four of you would be so kind... I also need ideas for young Emma, what she'd be like. No little kid is the same, I've learned that from MANY years of babysitting. A girl's gotta have money. What are some things that you think young Emma and Charming should do together? Until next time! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**See Chapter 1 for Disclaimer...**

**Shoutouts: **

**left my heart in Paris: Thank you for all the ideas, I'm definitely using them. You're not overstepping at all, trust me. I need all the ideas i can get. **

**So, yeah. Sorry I'm still figuring out , so excuse me if I repost chapters. I don't mean to, i just don't know how to do it right. So if someone can PM me and teach me how to do it, that would be great. **

Chapter 2: Emma's first day of School

Emma's POV

"Daddy, do I _have _to go to school?" I whined, wanting to go back inside the house. Even though I had my fluffy winter coat on that I used when it snowed, it was still freezing. All I wanted to do was go back inside and watch my Disney VHS's. I wanted Daddy to read fairy tales to me. It was all I'd ever done, all I knew how to do. Well, I did know how to color, and I did know how to make cookies. Kind of. Daddy helped me make them, but they still tasted delicious anyway.

"Yes you do. I had to go to school, and now you do. You're a big girl now." Daddy said, pushing me towards the road. I looked to the left and saw the big, yellow bus chugging down the street, and I froze. I would've run inside the fastest I could go, but the backpack was too heavy.

I gulped as the bus stopped in front of me. I looked up at Daddy one last time, waiting for him to tell me it was all a joke, that I could go back inside. He didn't do anything.

"Go on. School will be fun." Daddy said, and I knew that I had to be brave. I gave him a hug goodbye, and walked to the steps of the bus. They looked so big that I would probably have to fly to get up to the top. I took a giant step, and found myself on the bottom stair. The bus driver just stared at me, obviously bored. I took another step, and another one, until I found myself at the top of the stairs, and scanned the room for a seat. I saw one in the very back, and went towards it.

When I got halfway to the back of the bus, some kid pulled on my arm.

"First Graders only. Go to the front, Kindergartener." She said. This little girl had long brown hair in pigtails, a t-shirt with a kitty on it, and jeans. She had sparkly sneakers on her feet. I remembered something that Daddy always told me. If you want something badly enough, you have to fight for it. I was taking his advice when I yanked her pigtail hard. I wanted that seat, and I wanted it really bad. Plus, she was mean to me. She deserved to have her pigtail yanked.

"OW!" She screamed, but I didn't let go. "That hurts! LET. GO!"

"Let me have the seat, and I'll let go." I bargained, and the girl caved.

"Okay, okay, okay! Just let go!" She exclaimed, and I smiled. I sat in the seat all the way in the back, and I had won.

_At School… _

The first day of kindergarten was fun. Daddy was right, just like he always was. There was coloring, drawing shapes, blocks, stuffed animals and even dress-up. I was in heaven. We had just had Storytime and we read the story of Rapunzel. I'd wished the teacher had read my favorite Fairy Tale, Snow White, but I liked Rapunzel, too. She was trapped in a tower her entire life because a witch stole her from her family. Rapunzel needed a haircut. Very badly. Her hair was so long that she could let people into her tower by letting down her hair. Her prince climbed up her hair, and he rescued her.

_Maybe a prince will rescue _me _someday_. I thought, amusing myself with the possibility. _Just like all the other princesses in the stories. _

Suddenly, I remembered something that Daddy had said to me in the beginning of the day. He said that I was a big girl. He _didn't _say that I was his little princess. Does that mean that I'm not his little princess anymore? Did this _big girl _me replace the princess? I thought about this worriedly throughout the day.

_I'll talk to Daddy about it later. _I thought. The plan was in my head, and I went over to the coloring station.

_After School…_

I walked off the bus and saw Daddy with a frown on his a disappointed look on his face. Uh-oh. I never liked that look. It meant that I was going to get in trouble.

"Emma, I got a call from the school today. They said you hurt someone." Daddy said, giving me a stern look. I remembered the day the best I could. I didn't remember hurting anyone during coloring or storytime. I couldn't hold the door and I accidentally stepped on someone's foot. Then on the bus- Oh. On the bus…

"I'm sorry Daddy." I said, sad that I made him mad.

"Do you want to explain?" Daddy asked, and I shook my head.

"Well, it might help me understand better." Daddy tried to get me to talk. I started explaining about pigtail girl and how she wouldn't let me sit in the back of the bus. Then, I explained why I thought I could do it.

"You always say if you want something bad enough, you have to fight for it… I wanted the seat and I fought for it." I explained, but Daddy shook his head.

"That's not something worth fighting over, Emma." Daddy said.

"But I wanted it." I whined, sounding like a spoiled brat. Maybe I was.

"We can't always have what we want." Daddy said, and looked over my shoulder, as if he was looking at something very far away. I snapped. He would never see my side in this! Never! He didn't care about how badly I wanted that seat! It was the only seat in the bus.

Daddy just kept looking over my shoulder, like he was frozen. That, or he was looking for something or someone. I turned around to see what he was looking for, but saw nothing but an empty road.

"Daddy, what were you looking at?" I asked.

"Nothing." Daddy said, almost looking sad. We walked up the driveway to our house. I remembered the plan I had made during school for when I saw Daddy again. Well, he was right here, and it was as good a time as any.

"Daddy?" I asked after a few minutes, once we were inside. I was sitting at the kitchen table.

"Yes?" Daddy answered, the disappointment still lingering, but covered by happiness. He

"Am I still your little princess?" I asked, my voice dropping at the end.

"What do you mean?" Daddy asked, and I took a deep breath, not ready to answer.

"You called me a big girl. Doesn't that mean I'm not your little princess?" I asked, trying to make it clearer.

"No matter how old or grown up you get, you'll always be my little princess." Daddy said, hugging me. Nothing else really happened the rest of the day, but what Daddy said staryed with me. _I'll always be his little princess_. I thought happily and fell asleep.

**A/N: So do you like it? I'm going to try to post everyday, but I don't know if i can... Just check every day. Can someone PLEASE PM me and tell me how to post chapters the right way, because I'm kind of flying blind. R&R!**


	3. Chapter 3

**See Chapter 1 for Disclaimer...**

**Shoutouts: **

**NCISGleek: Soon, I promise. Probably next chapter. **

**Elphaba Reyes: You found me. Dammit. **

**I'll start the story now. **

Daddy's Little Princess

Emma's POV

Chapter 3: Family Trees

"Hey, Dad!" I yelled, climbing up the stairs to where I knew my dad was working on… well, whatever it was he did when I was at school. I still wasn't sure about what he did for a job, and that bothered me. I'd wonder about that later, though. I carried my sheet of paper that was my homework. It had a box at the bottom of the page that said _You_ in it, then two more boxes that went out from the first box, one saying _Father_, and one saying _Mother_. At the top, in bold it said _Family Tree_.

In school, I had just stared at it for a minute, not knowing what to make of it, especially the box that said _Mother_. What was I supposed to put for that? Dad said that I had a Mom, but we didn't know where she was. All I needed was a name to put in the box, and my homework would be done. I pushed open the door to Dad's computer room, and he just stared at me for a minute.

"Yes, Emma?" Dad asked, seeing the paper in my hand. I'd say he didn't even know what it was if I didn't know any better.

"I need help with my homework." I announced, and it left a weird taste in my mouth. It made me feel strange that I needed help with anything. I never did. I normally figured things out on my own.

"Okay. What is it?" Dad asked, and I showed him the paper. He nodded, and handed the paper back to me.

"I need to know about… my mother." I said uneasily. The silence was short, but still Dad got that sad look in his eyes, so I just continued with my sentence. "Um… I just need her name. Nothing else."

"No. It's time you learned who your mother was." Dad said, and a sudden fear gripped my heart. Dad said _was_. Did that mean…

"Is she dead?" I asked, and Dad actually laughed.

"No. Emma, your mother isn't dead." Dad said, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I still had a mother.

"Then, where is she?" I asked.

"I don't know." Dad said, looking down at his papers. "But her name was… Mary."

"Mary?" I was in shock. I had a tiny clue to who my mother was. Mary.

_Mary. Mary. Mary_. I said over and over in my head. My mother's name was Mary. I couldn't believe it. I started to picture her in my mind. She was a perfect match for Dad. She was… blond, like me. She was blond. She had blue eyes, and was up to Dad's shoulder for height. I put myself in the mental picture, and saw a family. A real family. Not that I didn't love Dad or anything, but it felt more like a ragged, choppy family, like one member was ripped away. I always saw kids that got off the bus and were hugged by both their parents, or kids that got notes in their lunch from their moms. It made me feel really… upset. I wanted their moms. I wanted _a _mom.

I looked up at my dad, who looked really upset. While I was having my perfect family fantasy, he was in reality, where Mom doesn't exist. Not here, anyway.

"Okay. Thanks, Dad." I said, and gave him a hug. I ran off to my room that was down the hall, and shut the door. I didn't want Dad to see me drawing. I pulled out the crayons, and a piece of paper. I drew three people. Me first, then Dad, and then I had to stop before I started to draw Mom. I took a minute to picture her. I attempted to draw with my eyes closed so I wouldn't have to lose the picture of Mom in my head. I saw her long, curly hair, just like mine. I wanted to wish her into reality. If I thought about her hard enough, maybe she'd become real. When I opened my eyes, I half-expected to see my Mom standing there in my room, like any other Mom in town. I didn't see my mom, just my empty room. I felt my empty disappointment. I just wanted to be normal. Was that too much to ask?

When I looked at the picture, I liked it. It was a perfect family. I knew I couldn't let Dad see the picture, so I went to my head and hid it underneath the bed. He'd never find it under there. Some kids are scared of the monster under the bed, but I was over that. It was baby stuff.

I started my homework, filling in the boxes for the family tree. It was a good thing that I didn't have to know Dad's parents. I had no idea who they were and I didn't want to ask Dad again. I finished up my homework quickly, writing _Mary _in the Mother box. I put in my folder happily, ready to show it at school tomorrow.

_I knew I had a mom_. I thought. _I knew it_.

**A/N: Do you like it? I need feedback people! I'm getting reviews, but I want more ideas (except from you, NCSIGleek. You've done more than your fair share). R&R!**


	4. Chapter 4

**See Chapter 1 for Disclaimer...**

**I'll get on with the story.**

Snow's POV

Chapter 4: Playgrounds and Past Lives

It was a bright, sunny day. It's wasn't too hot and it wasn't too cold, so it was the perfect weather to sit and just enjoy. I was sitting by the kids' playground, and I don't really know why. I felt draw to it. Almost like, I _knew _I was supposed to be here. All the little kids in my class usually played here on the weekends, and that's what it was today. Saturday.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw two people walking towards the playground. A father and a daughter. Just from the fact that it was a father and not a mother walking their child to the playground that it was Emma. I felt so horrible that her mother left when Emma was a baby, or that's what I remember happening. At least Emma got to stay in Storybrook with her father. She was really a bright kid, and her father was the best dad a kid could have.

Something like recognition flashed across Emma's father's face, like we'd met before. School was only a few months in, and there was never a parent-teacher meeting. Well, I did have to call Emma's dad once when Emma pulled a girl's hair, but I don't count that. Emma started running to the playground when she saw all her friends, and her father just kept walking and staring at me with a smile on his face.

I had to admit, he _was _handsome, but I couldn't _talk _to him. The thought of that put butterflies in my stomach, like a schoolgirl crush.

Emma's dad stood next to me, watching his daughter play. She was climbing all over the playground, challenging anyone she could to a race. She was really quite competitive. Not that being competitive was a _bad _thing. I always competitiveness in a person, it gave them lots of personality. As Emma started to climb up the top of a play structure shaped like a tower, she slipped through the bars to the outside, hanging by the fence that was supposed to keep kids in. She jumped to the top of the fence-rail-thing, and started climbing to the pointy top of the roof. Emma looked like she'd done this a million times, while her father looked he was about to have a heart attack.

"Emma! Come down from there! You'll get hurt!" Emma's father yelled. I don't know if she didn't hear him, or if she was ignoring him, because she just laughed and kept climbing. When she made it to the top, Emma gripped the flag and stood on the top, victorious. She stood there for a few minutes, but then scrambled down, ready to be with her friends again. Emma's dad breathed a sigh of relief.

"She showed you." I said when he seemed relaxed enough not to kill me with his bare hands. It just slipped out, and I was shocked that I even said that. I'm normally so soft-spoken and quiet around people my age.

"Well, she is her mother's daughter." Emma's dad said, looking for a reaction. Was that supposed to mean something to me? I didn't even know Emma's mother. I didn't remember anything about her.

"Oh." Was all I could think to say.

_Really? _Oh_?_ I scolded myself. I had to continue, I had to keep talking. I didn't want to lose his attention. I don't know why, but I felt like I'd known before from… Somewhere. I wish I knew where, though. Maybe I could bring that up. But first I'd have to bring something we both have in common so it doesn't seem creepy.

"So… Um, Emma is doing really well in my class." I attempted to bring Emma into the picture. He turned to look at me. I felt my heart flutter in my chest.

"You're her teacher?" Emma's dad asked, and I nodded.

"She's really smart, but not in a normal way. She's more street-smart, but she has some friends. She's especially good friends with one little boy. August." I said. They did talk a lot, and it was almost as if they were siblings. He always got really protective of her, like an older brother. I saw Emma come running off the playground towards her father.

"Hi Ms. Blanchard." Emma said to me then turned to her father. "Dad, I'm ready to go home."

"One minute, Emma. Ms. Blanchard, I need to ask you a question." Emma's dad said.

"Shoot." I said, and he smiled, like he remembered a joke between us or something. That's weird.

"Do you remember?" He asked.

"Remember yesterday? Or last week? Yeah. I do. Why?" I answered, and he just looked down.

"No reason." He perked up for Emma. "Come on, Em. Let's go home."

They walked away, and I felt the strangest urge to chase after them, as if I might never see them again.

**A/N: NCSIGleek, there you go! I'm sure you weren't expecting SNOW'S POV (except u, Elphaba Reyes, but you can't talk. I basically told you about this right before.). So keep reviewing people and keep supplying me with ideas you want to see! This story has officially gone over the 1,000 view mark! THANKS! See ya later. **


	5. Chapter 5

**See Chapter 1 for Disclaimer...**

**I'm back! So I'm not taking anyone's ideas right now because I got one that I thought everyone would like. It'll explain something about the Emma we all know and love from the show. If I get that far with this story, it'll get clearer. If I don't, then I hope you all like it anyway. Thanks for all the views and reviews. I'm also thanking all the guests that came in and reviewed. you all are awesome. Time for the story**

Daddy's Little Princess

Daddy's Little Princess

Charming POV

Chapter 5: Fairytales

_God_. I thought in disbelief as I walked away from the playground with Emma following me. _She doesn't remember me. She doesn't know who I am._

I was silent. I didn't even know if I could speak at this point. Snow didn't remember me at all. Nothing. I thought that being there might break the curse for her personally, but nothing happened.

_This is my curse_. I thought solemnly. _Watching her and knowing she doesn't remember me or who I am. She doesn't think Emma is her daughter. _

Emma looked up at me, concern in her young eyes. She looked old beyond her years, and that worried me. I wanted Emma to have as normal a childhood as she could, and I was probably failing at that as a father. Even I noticed how distant I got. I was always looking at the background and looking for Snow rather than focusing on Emma. I had to do a better job.

"Dad, when we get inside, can you help me find my fairytale book?" Emma asked, stopping the driveway.

"What book, Emma?" I asked. I never saw her reading a fairytale book. I specifically kept her away from fairytales in case she found a book with the story of what really happened.

"My fairytale book. It has _Once Upon A Time _written on the front, and it's brown with a yellow thing going around it." Emma explained.

"A border?" I asked, and Emma shrugged.

"And it's big. Really big. Full of stories about puppets that can talk, and fairies, and my favorite one. Snow White." Emma finished, and I felt my eyes go as wide as dinner plates. She found a book? A book filled with fairy tales?

_Maybe it's nothing_. I told myself. I knew they read fairy tales to Emma a year ago in Kindergarten, but they didn't do anything to her. She was still oblivious.

_Or maybe she's found a book about your land. She can't keep reading that. _Another voice screamed at me. It sounded strangely like Snow's, but I had to keep going. I'd help her find it just to see what was in it.

"Okay, Emma. I'll help you find your book." I agreed, and as soon as we got inside, I started tearing the house apart. I _had _to find that book. I looked under couch cushions, Emma's backpack, under her mattress, anywhere she could've left it. By the time I thought to ask her where she had last seen it, her bed was flipped upside down and all her clothes from her closet were strewn about on the floor. Normally my calmer, better judgment kicked in, but this was _Emma_. She couldn't keep reading it.

I went downstairs to see Emma sitting on a stool in the kitchen, looking terrified. I didn't blame her. She'd just seen her calm, loving father go ballistic and do everything but rip the house from its foundation.

"Emma… Do you know where you last saw it?" I asked, and she nodded.

"Where?" I asked.

"In my room, but I don't know where it is now." Emma answered, and I sighed. I had just torn Emma's room apart looking for that book, and it wasn't there.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Regina in out front window, smiling evilly. I didn't want to think about Regina being _anywhere _near Emma. Even _breathing _on something that Emma touched was off-limits to Regina in my head. Regina had obviously stolen Emma's book, and done something to it.

"There it is!" Emma cried and ran over to the dining room table. On the table there was a book that seemed thicker than Emma's body and bigger than she could carry, but she hugged the giant book to her chest, looking like the happiest little girl in the world. She opened it, and starting flipping through pages. A good halfway through, she stopped, and sat down on the couch. I walked over to see what she was looking at, and my worst fears were confirmed.

On the page was a picture of Snow, at our wedding. Whoever drew it made a spitting image of Snow's smiling face. It hurt my heart to know that I'd seen that same face not an hour ago, but she didn't know me. She didn't know Emma. Emma wouldn't know her for twenty two more years. Emma looked at the book like it was written in Latin instead of English, and then looked at me.

"Daddy, something's wrong with my book." Emma said, and held it up for me to see.

"Well, what is it supposed to say?" I asked, genuinely concerned.

"Right here it starts about Snow White, how her evil stepmother made a poison apple. It says something about a wedding." Emma sounded out the last word, like it was foreign to her. I should _hope _it was a foreign word and concept to her. She shouldn't be thinking about marriage.

Suddenly, I knew why Regina was at our house. I knew why she smiling. First, Emma's book goes missing while she's at school. Then, Regina shows up with an evil smile on her face. I could see it as plain as if it was flashing in neon lights in front of my face.

Regina had messed with Emma's book.

**A/N: So remember, R&R! I might post another chapter later!**


	6. Chapter 6

**See Chapter 1 for Disclaimer...**

**Sorry I couldn't update twice last night. I fell asleep before I could type another chapter. Anyway, I couldn't have updated sooner today because I had a cousin's Sweet Sixteen Party. Sorry, guys. Anyway, here is another chapter!**

Daddy's Little Princess

Daddy's Little Princess

Emma's POV

Chapter 6: Histories

Dad looked really mad. Was he mad at me? I didn't think I did anything wrong. I just picked up my book and saw it was all messed up. What had happened to it? Yesterday it was perfectly fine, telling me the Disney story of Snow White. Now it was talking about her getting _married_? I was so confused.

"Dad, I'll just take this up to my room." I said, but I doubt Dad heard me. He was kind of far away again, like he was in fantasyland or something.

I ran up the stairs and into my room. I shut the door, and heard the front door slam. Dad had probably left. I sighed. Dad seemed so far away lately, and I wanted Dad back. The old Dad. The one that said he'd always be there for me. Well, I needed him know to help me figure out whatever happened to my book, but he wasn't here for me now.

I plopped down on my bed, just staring at the book. I was so lost in staring at it that I didn't bounce on my bed like I always did every time before this. It looked so interesting. It also looked like it had answers. The way it appeared out of nowhere and was all messed up had to mean something, right? This didn't happen every day.

I opened the book to the first page. I noticed there wasn't a story list like there always was. It was just gold lettering, saying the same thing as the front. _Once Upon A Time_. I flipped the page again and realized how old the paper was. It seemed like it had been through ten million storms and somehow survived. I felt like if I breathed on it too hard, it would crumble to pieces.

I read out loud, happy that Dad wasn't home. He probably wouldn't want me to read this, but I was going to do it anyway.

"Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there was an enchanted forest. In the forest lived every fairytale character that anyone has ever known." I read, immediately hooked on this story.

"Red Riding Hood, Pinnochio, even Sleeping Beauty. Then, there was Snow White and her evil stepmother. But remember, there's a backside to every story, even fairytales. Stories tend to get twisted out of view over time, blocking the real truth. These characters are real. Their stories are real. This is how they really happened, with the backstory." I read, and then the story went to a girl riding a horse. It said her name was Regina. Regina had a mother named Cora, who would constantly use magic to manipulate Regina, but at least Regina had a mom.

I kept reading the book for as long I could, but eventually my eyes got tired. Good thing it was a Saturday, so I was ready for a nap. I could only read for so long. True, some people thought you were too old for naps in first grade, but I'm always tired. As I went to sleep, all I could think about was Regina, Snow White's Evil Stepmother. I almost felt sorry for Regina.

Something else I noticed right before I fell asleep was that Dad never came back.

_Where is he?_ I wondered as I slipped into darkness.


	7. Chapter 7

**See Chapter 1 for Disclaimer...**

**Just a quick note: Emma is _not _replacing Henry. It'll all pan out. I have a method to my madness. Elphaba Reyes knows what I'm talking about. I need some ideas, but I'll tbink I'll do this one until you guys tell me it gets boring, or if I come up with a better one.**** Thank you guys for reviewing so much, and keep it up! **

Charming POV

Chapter 7: Twenty Two Years To Go

I don't know what Regina possibly planned to do by giving Emma the real stories in that book, but I was going to get to the bottom of it. Wouldn't that book just reveal to Emma that Regina was the real villain? Wouldn't it show Emma that she is the Savior? What good would that do Regina?

I approached the giant house that I knew was Regina's and laughed. Of course she would proclaim herself Mayor as this town. It's a down-grade from her original position, but in this world, we have something called democracy. Useful.

I walked up the steps to the double doors and knocked. I was more pounding my fist against the door, but I was so enraged that it didn't even matter to me. Everything seemed to be red around the edges, but that might've been my imagination. Regina messed with Emma, and I wanted to know why.

Giving Emma the book would only show her who she had to take down when she turned twenty eight. It doesn't make any sense.

_Then again, _I thought. _When did anything Regina does _ever _make sense. She put Snow under a sleeping curse because Snow was prettier. _

The door opened, and Regina was standing there in a business suit and a bunch of papers in hand. She smiled when she saw me, and she could already guess why I was here.

"What did you do to Emma's book?" I asked, putting as much venom as I could into it.

"Oh, I just thought the child should know the truth." Regina said innocently.

"What good would her knowing the truth do for you?" I asked, and Regina just laughed.

"Does it _always _have to be about me, Charming? Can't I just do it out of the _goodness of my heart_?" Regina answered my question with a few of her own.

"If you _had _any goodness left. But that got ripped out with Daniel's heart, didn't it?" I knew I struck a kink in her armor, because her face showed emotion besides evil. Hurt, then shock, then a mask of pure hate. She normally would've blown me to smithereens, but she didn't have magic. Another useful thing of this world.

"Snow told me that you also say it's all her fault?" I finished, and Regina regained what she could of her composure.

"She never _could_ keep her mouth shut." Regina commented, more to herself.

"Now, I'll just tell you something right now. If you don't fix Emma's book, and she thinks she's crazy because of it, I'll personally make sure that these are the most miserable twenty two years of your life. And that's a promise." I threatened. I didn't even care that I seemed absolutely evil, if not meaner than Regina herself. I was Emma's dad, and I would do everything in my power to ensure that she was safe. I would make sure that Regina wouldn't be near Emma.

"And I count on you keeping it." Regina smirked and continued. "Now, where is Emma at the moment? Home alone I'm guessing. Home alone with a book you told her not to read."

I realized what I had just done. I had left my curious, four year old daughter home alone with a book that had been somehow changed to reflect what our stories really were. If I was in her position, I would want to see how much of the old book I had remained. That meant reading it. That meant reading all of it.

I didn't even wait to see Regina's reaction to me, but I heard a high laughing. I raced home faster than if I was on a horse, and pushed open the front door. I mentally slapped myself in the head. Another bad parenting moment. I could already hear Snow twenty two years in the future yelling at me.

_You left the front door _unlocked_? With Emma inside?! _I heard, mentally envisioning it.

God. That should be fun.

I ran upstairs where I found Emma's room's door closed tightly. I pounded on the door, desperate to get inside. She _can't _read that book. It'll destroy her. If she knows that she has the responsibility to save a bunch of fairy tale characters when she's _six_? It'll kill her that she won't be able to do anything for twenty two years!

"Emma?!" I called, probably sounding like a crazy maniac. What can I say, I'm a _little_ stressed out.

Emma opened the door, and I breathed a sigh of relief. The book was nowhere in sight. That didn't mean that she wasn't hiding the book to read when I was gone.

"Emma, what happened to the book?" I asked, and Emma shrugged.

"It's gone." Emma said, and I could feel myself relaxing. Emma hadn't read that book. She knew nothing about her job. For now anyway.

**Regina might be a little OC, but I haven't seen the show in a week! I'm suffering from withdrawl! :( Anyway, R&R! Thanks! 3**


	8. Chapter 8

Emma's POV

Chapter 8: Finished

As soon as Dad left my room, I got down on my hands and knees and got under the bed. I had heard Dad coming and hid as far back as I could. I saw the outline of it in the little light that filtered under my bed. I grabbed the book, and crawled out from under my bed. I flopped back on my bed, wondering if I should keep reading.

_Dad might hear me. I'll get in trouble._ I reasoned, but then looked at the book. It was too much. I couldn't help but want to read it. It was so interesting.

I had gotten to when Snow White was found hiding in Red Riding Hood's chicken barn. I loved how all the fairy tales crisscrossed. All the stories eventually crossed, and that's what kept me so hooked. I probably spent over an hour in my room, just reading. I got almost to the end when Dad called me down to dinner. I didn't know what to do. I wanted to keep reading, but I knew Dad didn't want me to. I closed the book when I got to a picture of a pregnant Snow White. The baby was about to be born, I could tell.

_What could be so bad about it?_ I wondered as I shoved it under my bed again. I left my room and ran down the stairs, skipping two stairs at a time. I hit the floor so hard that I shook the picture of me and Dad that was on the mantel place, threatening to break it. I grabbed it so it didn't fall, and went to the table. I saw mac and cheese on the table, and I got all excited. I _loved _mac and cheese. It was my favorite food. I sat down and dug in, happy to have left my book up in my room. I doubted that story was real anyway. They were all fairy tales. Someone just creative and wrote it down. Still, I was really addicted to that book.

"Are you okay, Emma?" Dad asked, and I looked up at him confused. Why wouldn't I be okay?

"Yeah. Why?" I asked.

"Well, your book went missing again." Dad explained, and I thought before I spoke. If I said the wrong thing, then it could get taken away from me. I'd never know if Snow White's baby saved everyone. It was supposed to be a girl, so I was excited.

"I'm okay. It's probably just under the couch or something." I said, trying to direct as much attention as possible away from the book.

:"This is really good mac and cheese, Dad." I commented, putting on my most innocent smile. "You must've made it special."

"It's Easy Mac." Dad said. I failed at getting him to forget about the book. He probably now knew that I knew where the book was. Darn it.

"Um… I have to go." I said as soon as I was finished with dinner. I didn't even stay for my desert, but I have priorities. As soon as I realized that I wasn't holding half a chocolate chip cookie, I raced back down the stairs. Smiling, I saw Dad holding a napkin with a chocolate chip cookie in it.

"You knew I'd come back." I said, and he nodded.

"I think I know my own daughter pretty well." He said and handed me the cookie. I hugged him and ran back upstairs.

_One Day Later at School…_

That day in school, we had the Mayor of Storybrook come to school and speak to us. It was a surprise assembly, and everyone knew what that meant. No work. I didn't have shapes lessons, and I was happy about that. I could never get my lines straight or my circle perfectly round. It bothered me that it wasn't perfect, like the ones in the pictures. I was wobbly and looked bad. I didn't like it.

"Hello, boys and girls." The Mayor said. "My name is Regina Mills, and I'm here to talk to you about being the Mayor of our town. It's a lot of work…"

She went on to talk about how hard running Storybrook was, but no one was really paying attention. Everyone was passing notes to each other, just happy to be out of classes. The second graders were especially loud, and Regina had to constantly stop talking and stare at them until they realized that they were being loud. She had to stop every ten minutes. About halfway through, Ms. Blanchard gave us paper and told us to write questions for the Mayor.

I took my blank piece of paper and just stared at it for a minute. What should I ask her? I hadn't been paying attention very well, and I didn't want to hand a blank piece of paper. I remembered the book under my bed and remembered that everyone in Fairy Tale Land was taken to this world and was stuck in Storybrook. Just as a joke, I wrote: _Do you remember?_ I folded it up, and put it in my lap. The Mayor said that every question would get a personal answer. She'd probably think I was crazy, but it was better than admitting that I wasn't paying attention.

Ms. Blanchard collected it, and the class waved goodbye to the Mayor, and we went back to class. Of course, no one did anything. Almost all of our class time had been taken up by the assembly. We just played for the rest of the day, and then we went home.

The bus dropped me off, and I saw Dad waiting through the window.

"Hi, Dad." I said, dumping my backpack on the ground. Normally it had a tiny _thump_ sound when it landed because there was a homework book in it. Instead, it was silent.

"Hi, Emma. How was your day?" Dad asked.

"Great. We didn't do anything!" I exclaimed.

"Why not?"

"We had an assembly. The Mayor came to talk to us." I explained, and Dad looked a little alarmed.

"What did she talk about?" He asked, suddenly suspicious. I didn't like it.

"Just about how hard it is to be Mayor. I didn't really pay attention. And we got to ask questions on little slips of paper, and we'd get an answer by the end of the week." I concluded.

"That's… good. What did you ask?" Dad still looked at me suspiciously, as if I was going to lie to him. I had to think fast. I couldn't tell him that I still had the book and asked the Mayor if she remembered who she was. He would take my book away. I was almost finished.

"Um… just if it was hard to be Mayor." I lied, and Dad nodded.

"Can I go do my homework?" I asked, using any excuse to be alone in my room. I had only a few pages left before I finished the book.

"Sure." Dad said, and I ran up the stairs. "But dinner's at six!" He called.

"Okay!" I called back and ran to my room. I shut the door, pulled the book out from under my bed, and turned to the second to last page.

"When the baby was born, she was wrapped in a blanket with her name, _Emma, _stitched on it."

_My name is Emma! _I realized somewhere in the back of my head. _That's so cool!_

"The blue fairy came running in, telling the couple that the magic of the wardrobe could protect two instead of one. Snow and Charming argued who should take Emma through the wardrobe, but it was decided that Charming would take her, leaving Snow behind. Charming and Emma got in the wardrobe as soon as the curse hit the palace, destroying it. They made it through to the new world perfectly fine, but the rest of the people who lived in the kingdom paid a price. They had forgotten who they were. Now, it was up to Baby Emma to save them." I finished, shutting the back cover of the book. The last picture was a picture of the baby, cradled in Charming's arms.

_I feel for you, Baby Emma_. I thought. _I have to grow up without my mom, too._

_The Next Day..._

When Dad took the mail in after school, I noticed something that I was waiting for. It was an envelope with _my _name on it, with the Mayor's seal in the corner. I took it up to my room and looked at it, filled with anticipation. She would probably think I was crazy, tell me that she didn't know what I was talking about, but I had to try. I ripped open the letter, not expecting much. I was so happy with what I found.

_Dear Emma,_

_ Yes, I do remember. I'm guessing you found a book that tells the real truth, not the Disney version. It's been hard not being near you these past six years, but hopefully that will change after you get this letter. Emma, I am your mother. I am Snow White_.

I had found my mother. I had found my mother. My mother was Regina, and I had finally found her.

_Wait._ I thought. _Does that mean I have to save everyone here? That'll be impossible_. I thought, then perked right back up. _Who cares? I found my mother_!

**A/N: Ooooo. Told you you'd be shocked. Ever heard of identity theft, Regina? Did you guys like it?! I liked writing it. R&R**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hi! I'm a super boring class and have no idea what's going on, so I'm here. I finished another chapter. Emma's still a little kid, but I'll do a time skip soon, I promise. Like, in 2 chapters soon. Thanks to all the people who are reviewing, you are prompting me to keep writing, and you are SERIOUSLY dedicated. Here's the chapter! Hope you like it!**

Snow's POV

Chapter 9: Meeting

After the surprise of the Mayor dropping in on us yesterday, my class had some ground to cover to keep up with the curriculum. They all seemed smart enough, it's just that they didn't want to learn anything new. They wanted to learn the same things over and over again, and they weren't making much headway. It really frustrated me. They were all smart, I could feel it. I just had to get to their brains somehow. I felt like if I had enough time with them, I'd get to their brains eventually. That's why when Emma asked me if she could leave early to see the Mayor who was waiting for her, I said no.

Plus, something didn't seem right about Regina. Maybe it was the way she snuck around everywhere. Maybe it was the way she made me feel when she sent death glares whenever our paths crossed in town. Maybe it was the uneasy feeling she gave me if she was within fifty feet of me. Regina made me really paranoid, and I didn't know why. I also felt extremely protective of Emma, and I didn't want her anywhere near Regina. It was weird.

Emma skulked away after I said she couldn't leave early, and went to play with her friends.

_She should be protected from Regina_. The voice of reason screamed.

_But it's not my place to do anything._ I argued, but it didn't do any good. The feeling that I needed to hover over Emma never went away. I felt like a second mother towards her, since she never had one herself. I never had a mother either. She died in a car crash right after I was born. Maybe that's why I felt so protective of Emma. It was mutual loss that held us together. It wasn't the best reason to be close to someone, but it was the only thing I could come up with.

It was almost three o'clock when Emma asked if she could leave, and school didn't let out until three thirty. I couldn't let an unaccompanied child walk through town, and I couldn't leave a class of kids. Although, she might be safer alone than with Regina.

_Speak of the Devil_. I thought as I saw her walk in the front doors of the school. My classroom was positioned so that if I stood directly in the middle, I could see the main doors. I saw Regina walk in, and I felt my stomach clench. I didn't want her near any children. I was almost hyperventilating during the assembly where we had nothing to do but listen to her ramble on and on. I had the horrible sinking feeling that she might do something that hurt the kids.

"_Ms. Blanchard, please call the main office_." The intercom blared all across the school. My class stopped what they were doing to stare at me. I picked up the phone and dialed the main office. The kids resumed what they were doing, and it was a sigh of relief. They made enough noise to drown out whatever I was saying and they would be oblivious.

"Hello." I said into the phone, and heard the principal speaking. My heart sunk. The principal talking to you only meant two things. One, you were getting fired, or two, a kid was leaving early. The only adult I'd seen go in the building was Regina, and I already told Emma she couldn't leave.

"One of your students, Emma Swan, is to leave now with her emergency contact." The principal said, his voice as cold as ice.

"Her emergency contact? Did something happen?" I asked, my voice full of concern. If Emma's dad wasn't here, then something must've happened to him. I couldn't bear the thought of Emma losing both her parents, going into the foster system. The foster system isn't a good place for a sweet little kid like Emma.

"No. Her father is just unreachable, and Mayor Regina is a family friend." The principal replied. I couldn't even picture Regina being nice to someone, let alone being their family friend. I sighed, and looked at Emma. She would have to go with Regina whether I liked it or not.

"Okay. I'll send Emma right down." I said, and hung up the phone. The thought of Emma being with Regina left a horrible taste in my mouth, but it wasn't my decision. I walked over to Emma, and looked at her. She looked so happy here with her friends. It was almost sad to pull her away from them.

"Emma." I said, causing her to look up from her drawing. "Time to go. The Mayor is picking you up early."

"I thought you said I couldn't leave." Emma replied, and I shook my head.

"Plans got changed. I'll just walk you down to the office." I said, and Emma's eyes lit up with excitement. The fact that she was so eager to leave was a little upsetting, but what can you expect from a little kid?

In the time it took me to blink, Emma was already standing back in front of me with her backpack slung over her shoulder. She was ready to go, and she was ready to go _now_. Emma shot out the door, not making it easy to keep up with her. She seemed to already know the way to the main office like the back of her hand.

She approached the office, remembered the _no running in the halls_ rule, and let me catch up to her. In the office I saw Regina waiting for Emma, and I was reluctant to hand Emma over. It didn't seem right. I had never seen Regina and Emma talk in Emma's entire life. How could they be family friends?

"Emma!" Regina said, pulling Emma into a hug. I felt like I wanted to rip Emma and Regina apart, but I restrained myself. I had a class to get back to, and Emma was safe. Well, as safe as a person alone with Regina can be.

**A/N: Regina basically kidnapped Emma! It's not that Snow White doesn't look right in the book, just that everyone got haircuts and modern clothes when the curse hit, and Regina looks the most like Snow in the book, so Emma thinks Regina is telling the truth. What are Regina's motives? That's for me to know, and for you to wait to find out! *evil laughter* So R&R! **


	10. Chapter 10

**At the request of...AdaliaWren! Here's the next chapter! Sorry I was in a class where we couldn't have our computers, or I would've updated sooner. Time skip next chapter! **

Regina's POV

Chapter 10: Escape

I walked out of the school with Emma smiling. I had gotten her out with a note saying that Emma had a doctor's appointment, and it worked like a charm. That principal was just a plain idiot, letting a kid go out with a person who only claimed to be their emergency contact, it was never on the sheet.

Emma and I got in the car, and drove away from the school.

"Where are we going?" Emma asked. I didn't think I'd get this far, honestly. What would a mother do? I had no idea. My mother was anything _but _normal. What kind of mother kills her daughter's true love? A heartless one. I realized what I had just thought, and remembered all the times that I had tried to kill Snow's Prince Charming.

_No_. I though. _She wasn't your daughter. She caused Daniel's death. _

I kept driving, and it took me a minute to remember Emma's question. I looked in the rearview mirror, and realized I was scowling. Emma looked scared in the backseat.

"We'll go wherever you want to go." I said, and Emma looked out the window. She pointed out places she'd already been, and places she was bored with. She didn't want to go to the playground, she was bored with Granny's Diner, and she wanted to go in the library, but it was all boarded up. We got dangerously close to the edge of town, and Emma just wanted to keep going. I wondered what would happen if I tried to go over the town limits. Would the car crash? Would we be able to get through? I doubted we could get through. I had made the town somewhere near impossible to exit. Even if we could get over the town limits, where would we go? I didn't know anything outside of Storybrook, and I barely knew the rest of the world. My only reference was the globe in Mr. Gold's shop, and I tried to stay out of there.

I could see the outline of the town sign.

"Emma?" I asked, trying to sound sweet. Sweet wasn't exactly my forte, but I didn't want to scare Emma again. "Are you sure you don't want to go somewhere in town?"

"I don't want to go anywhere in town. It's boring there. I've been everywhere." Emma replied. "I want to see what else there is."

"Emma, we-" I was about to say _can't leave town_, but my curiosity got the better of me. What if we _could _leave town? Then I could take Emma away from Storybrook and she would never break the curse. It would completely turn my original plan around, but it seemed better than trying to gain Emma's trust and make her feel guilty about breaking the curse in twenty two years. Taking Emma from Storybrook would solve all my problems. I could leave, too. That would solve the problem of having hell to pay if I came back without Emma. I could get lost in a big city. No one would ever find me, and Emma would never find Storybrook.

"We'll definitely try to see what else is out there." I said, suddenly determined to get out of town. Maybe since I was the creator of the curse, then the _no one can leave _thing will be suspended for me. I only need to get out. Or maybe if I drove fast enough I could get over.

I sped up the car, ready to escape.

The Storybrook sign was so close I could almost touch it, and I saw my speedometer hit eighty miles per hour. This could work. This could work.

_I might escape_. I thought. That's when it all went wrong.

The car's brakes went on without my foot on the pedal, spinning the car out of control. We skidded to a halt for a split second, the car facing the sign. It was a split second of safety. My foot was still on the gas pedal, though, so we shot head first into the Storybrook sign.

Everything went black.

**A/N: I know it's really super short, and I apologize. It is very hard to write long chapters while doing a Photoshop project with a teacher looking over your shoulder. But it's thanksgiving break, and I might update twice a day if I'm ambitious and actually have the ability to type two chapters a day, with the exception of thanksgiving (gobble, gobble). Anyway, keep reviewing! :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Apology: I am very sorry I didn't update yesterday. It takes to write a good chapter, watch Titanic, and Mean Girls. God I have no life. Anyway, here is the chaoter you have been waiting for. **

Emma's POV

Chapter 11: Truth

I woke up in a hospital bed. Dad was standing at the side of my bed, and I couldn't remember much. I remember leaving school, and Regina telling me we were going to leave town. I got so excited. I was finally going to see the outside world, see something _besides _Storybrook. The only reference I have is the internet, and that's good, but I want to _live _in a city. I want to walk along a busy city sidewalk, hear tons of horns honking all at once, and just take in life. Then, I don't remember anything.

"Emma?" Dad asked, concern in his eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I think I'm fine." I replied. I didn't feel any broken bones or anything. I assume it would hurt a lot, but I didn't feel any pain except my headache.

"Now it's time for me to yell at you." Dad said, and my heart sank. "What were you thinking? You just _leave _school? You know that's not right!"

How was I going to explain that I lied to Dad about the question I wrote? I didn't even want to explain the letter. My headache suddenly got worse and started pounding. I just wanted to roll over and go to bed, but I knew I couldn't. I had to let Dad yell at me, because I deserved it. I didn't know that leaving with Regina was wrong; she was my mom! I saw kids leave with their moms all the time. I'd explain it after Dad was done.

I sighed and patiently waited for Dad to stop yelling about how "you should have known better", and "you're much smarter than this".

"I can explain." I said, my stomach in knots. Here was where I had to admit to Dad that I was even worse of a daughter than he already thought. Here was where Dad was about to hate me.

"Remember when I told you that we had to write letters to the Mayor, and I asked if was hard?" I prompted, and Dad nodded. "I asked her something different."

"What did you ask?" Dad asked, taking a deep breath.

"Okay, so my book says-" I started, but Dad cut me off.

"The book that went missing? You found it?" He asked.

"I never lost it." I said, and just kept going. If I stopped again, I wouldn't finish. "And it says that all of Storybrook is cursed, and some people remember. Most people don't, but there are few people that remember who they were. I asked the Mayor if she remembered who she was, just as a joke, but she wrote back saying that she did. She said she was mother. She said she was Snow White." I explained, completely out of breath at the end. I didn't take any breaths in between sentences because I had to get it all out.

Dad looked around for people, but no one was around.

"How far did you get in that book?" He asked.

"I finished it. It's under my bed." I admitted, and Dad put his head in his hands.

"This isn't the place to have a discussion like this. Emma, we'll have this discussion when you're let out of the hospital." Dad said. "I have to go, okay?"

I nodded, and Dad left the room.

"I love you!" I called, and I heard a faint reply.

"I love you, too!" Dad's voice called, and I smiled. I was happy to see that he didn't hate me for lying to him. It made me feel better.

I rolled over in the hospital bed and slipped into sleep.

.

A few hours later, I was told I could leave the hospital, and Dad took me home. When we got inside, he wanted me to get the book out. I ran up to my room, retrieved the book, and flipped through it.

"Emma, we need to talk." Dad said. "I know you read the book, but how many times did you read it?"

"Just once." I said. "I finished it yesterday. Baby Emma is _so cute_."

"So, you don't think they're real." Dad supplied, and I had to think about it. I wished they were real. They made my life seem so much more exciting. If I was reading about Red Riding Hood, I could pretend that I was a werewolf, and that was definitely more exciting than being Emma, normal resident of Storybrook. There weren't even a hundred people in the town, and life got pretty boring pretty quick.

"No." I said.

"Okay. I just need to say, stay away from Regina. She's not your mom, trust me on that." Dad said. "And just tell me if anyone says anything about the book. It's not real. Remember that."

"Okay. I'll stay away from Regina. I'm just going to go upstairs." I said, and ran upstairs. I instinctively got on my hands and knees to get under my bed. It took me a minute to comprehend that the book wasn't there anymore, and that I couldn't read it. I couldn't even talk about it. People would think I was crazy anyway.

I sat on my bed, thinking of something that I could do to substitute for reading the book. I had spent the past two days reading that book every spare moment I got at home. Now that it was gone, what was I supposed to do?

Another thing that Dad said hit me like a pound of bricks. Regina wasn't my mom. I was back where I started, with almost no information. Not even a town where she lived. I felt like I was going to cry. I had come so close to having a mom, one that wouldn't leave when the going got tough. One that wouldn't abandon me. Regina offered to take me out of this town, take me far away from here. We'd be a family. That stupid car crash had ruined any chance I had of having mom. I crawled into bed, not really caring what time it was.

I just wanted this day to be over.

**A/N: I feel so bad for Emma. SORRY SORRY SORRY for not updating. I'll type another chapter TONIGHT and post it. Might be up around eleven if I'm lucky. Anyway, check back :) R&R! **


	12. Chapter 12

**I'm back! I hope you're ready for another chapter. I've seen some emails from around one in the morning, so I'll take a good guess that there are a fair amount of readers on fanfiction right now. This is the time skip I've been talking about for so long! I'm so excited! I loved writing little Emma, but I didn't know if it sounded little kid-ish enough. So now Emma is eighteen, and guess where *answer within the third sentence*? Here is the chapter! **

_Twelve Years Later…_

Emma's POV

_Positive_. I thought in disbelief, looking down at the pregnancy test. _Oh, shit_._ I'm in jail and I'm _pregnant_? This would only happen to me. _

Suddenly, a warden came in my cell with an envelope. The kind you sent a small package in. Who would send me a package? The only person who cared about me outside of Storybrook was probably in Canada, running from ending up the same way that I was. I didn't even use my phone call. I had no one to call. I couldn't tell my dad that I ended up in jail for possession of stolen property.

"I have to open this in front of you. Regulation. You know anyone in Phuket?" The warden asked, and I just shook my head. I didn't know anyone besides Neal and the people of Storybrook. I just knew that Phuket was an island somewhere in Asia. The warden reached into the envelope and pulled out a key ring with a key and a keychain on it. The key and swan keychain were heart achingly familiar.

"Looks like you get a car when you get out." The warden announced, and I thought of the yellow bug that I had stolen. I only had half a heart attack when a guy popped up in the backseat, telling me I could just ask for the key. I tried to sound tough, but the effort was wasted when my voice started to shake. The other half of the heart attack came when a cop pulled me over. When car guy said that I was his girlfriend, I was ready to punch him and run. Of course, that would look _slightly_ suspicious to the cop, so I restrained myself.

I learned his name was Neal. He was a criminal, but he was so good that he was never caught. He even wanted to settle down with me, marry me. It was the only time that I was truly in love. It was amazing. There aren't any words to describe it. Then came the day that I helped Neal steal watches from a train station. I waited at the train tracks at nine o'clock, just like he told me too. Then the cop showed up. It was a disaster. That's why I was here. Neal set me up.

"And a baby. Congratulations." The warden said, leaving the cell. I was left alone, just the way I liked it. Everyone thought that I wanted friends, tons of them, but the truth was that I just wanted to be left alone.

_Oh, God. What I am going to do?_ I thought, looking down at my stomach. I was probably one month along, and I had eleven months in here. I couldn't take care of a baby here, I wasn't even sure I _could _keep it. Besides, I was eighteen. My boyfriend took off on me, taking any hope of having a home. Those watches were our only real money. There was really no way to raise a kid here. I couldn't give them a good life, and I didn't want them to grow up the same way I did, without one parent and bored out of my mind.

I had to give this baby up for adoption.

I would make sure that the baby had the best home possible, or at least the best home I could the baby. I wouldn't put this poor baby through reliving my life. It wasn't the baby's fault that it got the sucky short end of the stick to have me for its mom.

I resolved to get permission to have adoptions for the baby from the warden. I needed the baby to have the perfect life. Two loving parents that had lots of money, could give the kid all the opportunities in the world. This kid was going to have the best life that any kid could have, except maybe a millionaire's kid. Hell, if a millionaire wants to adopt this kid, I'll give them the kid.

I started picturing the perfect family, just like I used to do when I was a kid. Instead of my family, though, it was this kid's family. I pictured the kid as a boy, who looked more like Neal than me. I hoped the kid looked more like Neal; I wasn't much to look at. I pictured the kid's mom, a skinny, dark-haired woman. She looked a woman that grew up on the edges of my life, always scowling at me from my peripheral vision. I never knew what she had against me, but I would get glimpses of memories of her being nice to me. Then, the memory would fade away, and I would forget it. I had determined that my mind blocked out the memories of this woman, and I wondered why. I couldn't even remember her name now, a year away from Storybrook. I know it started with an R. Rachel, maybe?

Anyway, the kid's father was a dependable person, someone who you could always turn to. Someone who would always love his wife, no matter hell or high water. He would always be loyal to his family and put them first. He had dark hair just like the mother, but he was taller and sturdier, like he had been working out his whole life or something. I don't know why I was picturing these people. I wasn;t going to have contact with the baby after it was born. What could I do for it? If it was a girl, I'd probably only make her life worse. If it was a boy, then I was in a whole new ball park. I would leave everything to the baby's parents.

The lights suddenly went out in the prison, and that was my queue to climb into bed and fall asleep. I dreamed of the kid, watching it grow up from a distance, and I wasn't happy about it. But the kid was happy, and I was happy.

.

_Five Months Later… _

I flipped through papers, all people that wanted to adopt my kid. I found out from a sonogram that it was a boy. I had so many applications that it had taken all day to skim through them for the important information. I had stopped reading about how badly they wanted to be parents, and why they had to adopt. It started to hurt too much after I reached the fifth infertile woman. I just started looking for where they were living, occupation, and their annual salary. I reached one name for a town that really struck me. I saw an adopter from Storybrook. My own hometown. How did anyone even find me? That town was so in the middle of nowhere that no one could leave.

I looked at the name, and something rang a bell in my head. _Regina Mills_. The name said. _Occupation: Mayor_. I remember only one thing about the Mayor. I only remembered that she came to speak at an assembly at school once when I was really young. First grade, second grade. She seemed pretty dependable, being the Mayor. She didn't have a husband, but that didn't

"I found her." I said to the unborn boy in my stomach. "I found your mom."

**A/N: Did you guys like it? Tell me if you think I should just skip to Emma coming back to Storybrook or if I should show Emma's life in the city before the show starts! R&R!**


	13. Chapter 13

**I'm back! Sorry I have been absent and let you all down on my promises. PLEASE DON'T HATE ME! I'm very sorry. Please continue to read and update... Here's the long-awaited chapter! 3**

Emma's POV

Chapter 12

Jail sucked. That's why the eleven months in prison that I had were the longest eleven months of my life. Giving up my baby was the worst – it felt like someone was pulling my heart out of my chest- , but it had to be done. I had found out that I couldn't keep the baby while I was in jail anyway. I was sending my baby somewhere better, far away from me. Normally, everyone near me gets hurt or leaves. My mom left, Neal left, and I liked to think some people in Storybrook missed me. Maybe it was just wishful thinking though. After a few days recovering from my son's birth, I was right back in my cell, just me, myself and I.

The day I got to leave, I almost exploded with happiness. I was finally going to get to do what I left Storybrook in the first place to do. I was going to see the world. I was going to see it better than when I was with Neal. Living the lifestyle we did, I didn't see the world, I glanced at it before we moved on. I got a small apartment in Boston, and moved in. I didn't really have anything to my name except a criminal record and a bank account.

I had to buy all new clothes, I had to buy all new furniture. Thank God I saved most of my money as a kid. I also got a job as a bail bonds person for a while now, but other than that, my life savings was my only money.

A few months of renovating, doing home repairs and painting, it was finally finished. My home in Tallahassee may not have happened, but I have another one right in Boston. Honestly, I think I like Boston better than I would've liked Tallahassee anyway. Too many tourists were in Florida, and there were hurricanes. Boston was the city life I wanted. I could walk everywhere, hear other people's lives around mine. I felt like I was a part of something.

Ten years after I moved to Boston, I still had almost no friends, and a big apartment with no one else. Just on instinct I registered for an online dating site. I know, I know. There are psychos out there that use fake names and profiles and stuff, but I didn't care. I didn't want to be alone anymore. I had spent over ten years alone, and I wanted another chance at having a relationship. Okay, Neal was basically dead to me, and he left me for the wolves while he escaped to Canada. That doesn't mean that every guy is like that. Maybe I shouldn't date a criminal this time. They tend to be slightly untrustworthy.

The site asked for my name and picture.

_Emma Swan. _I typed in on my near-ancient laptop. I picked a photo of myself to update, and although it took forever, I did it. Next, the website asked for my hobbies and pastime.

_What do I do?_ I asked myself, and just skipped that part. My profile showed up in front of me, and I liked it. It was just a picture and my name, but it was more than I'd ever put out before today.

Almost immediately, a result popped up. Someone wanted to date me already?

_That's not creepy at all_. I thought and clicked on the picture. He looked slightly familiar, but I couldn't be sure. A page loaded with the name: _John Kingsley_. That name sounded familiar, and I suddenly remembered where I knew this name from. He was originally convicted of money laundering, and he got dragged to jail. His wife came crying to me, begging for the bail money. I caved, and the minute he was out, he skipped town before he could even have a trial.

He was the worst husband I'd ever heard of, and now he was on a dating site. I laughed. It was time for my own personal form of revenge. He asked if I wanted to meet in person, at a restaurant. I said yes.

_You can't run from me this time. _I thought. _See you Saturday night_.

.

I looked at myself in the mirror right before I left for my date. I had to say, I looked pretty good. In a red, right-fitting dress that went down to my mid-thighs and my hair done, I looked date-ready. If only this guy wasn't an ex-criminal. I would be happy that someone actually asked me out at first sight. Maybe this online dating thing wasn't so bad. I mean, there _was _Skype to make sure that it's not someone old enough to be my dad, so I felt somewhat safer online.

I left the mirror, and grabbed my purse. Nothing was in there, but it was more for decoration. If I knew one thing, it was how to go under cover.

"Time to go." I said, and walked out the door, locking it.

I found my yellow bug in the parking lot, and started it up. I drove towards the restaurant, hoping some new driver wouldn't smash my bug into oblivion. Even though I was glad to have this car, it was really small, and I felt like a big truck would come and squash my car like – well – like a bug.

I pulled up to the restaurant, half expecting to see a dozen police cars with flashing lights and traumatized people standing outside. Once a criminal, always a criminal. Now, I know what you all are thinking. _But, Emma, you were a criminal. You went to jail_. That was different. I was framed, and the only person in the world I could turn to was gone. Anyway, to my surprise, there weren't throngs of people, and there weren't policemen. It was a perfectly normal restaurant.

I parked the bug and walked inside. It was actually a pretty classy restaurant. I guess I expected something sketchier, but then again, this guy was caught for money laundering. Maybe it was like riding a bike. You never forgot how to do it. I went deeper into the busy restaurant, and saw him sitting there, smiling.

_I wonder what your wife would say if she saw you here_. I thought, but acted happy. I wasn't going to tell him who I was until the time was right.

"Hey!" He said, and I smiled. God, I was going to rain on his happy parade. He deserved it. He looked and me and sighed in relief.

"You look like your picture." He commented. "It is the internet. Pictures could be Photoshoped, edited-" Catching his drift, I finished for him.

"Stolen from a Victoria's Secret catalogue?" I supplied, and he laughed.

"Yeah. Sit down." I sat, and formulated a plan for revealing myself in my head. This should be fun.

**A/N: So, do you like it? I'm planning to have the next chapter be after her date and her basically recapping what happened. I didn't want to bore you since you've probably already seen the first episode. To those of you that didn't... WATCH IT! I love it. Anyways, be back soon... maybe. I have play practice tonight, so i might not be able to update. But check anyway! **


	14. Chapter 14

**I HAVE RETURNED! (See previous chapter for my grovelling for forgiveness) Here's the chapter!**

Emma's POV

Chapter 14

My date went well. If you define "well" as your date flipping the table, getting drinks and food all over you, then bolting out the door, then you chasing your date through the street, then bashing his head against a steering wheel, then it went well. I realized at that moment how really messed up this day was. It's not exactly a normal twenty-eighth birthday for anyone, but I'm used to abnormal. Even so, I kept one tradition. I always went down to the bakery up the block from my apartment, and bought myself a cupcake with candles. I did that tonight, and got some weird looks from the baker, but what can you expect? People don't show up soaking wet and covered in bread crumbs very often.

I struggled to open the door to my apartment, kick of my ridiculously high heels and placed the cupcake on the counter. I took out the matches and lit the two candles that I had stuck in the cupcake. I made a wish, and blew out the candles. For a second, I dared myself to hope that my wish would come true.

_Maybe I won't be alone on my birthday tonight. Maybe. _I dared to think. _I sound like I'm from Annie_. I realized, and took a bite into my cupcake.

Suddenly, a knock came on my door. I didn't do anything for a moment, just stood there in the kitchen, chewing my cupcake. What if it was the guy I knocked out? Could he have woken up already? If so, I'm losing my touch.

I walked cautiously to the door, and looked through the peephole. I saw the face of a little boy, distorted by the lens, and sighed in relief. I still had my magic touch that could knock anyone out. Also, an ex-criminal wasn't at my door with a gun. That's always a good thing.

I opened the door, and the little boy just walked right in.

"Emma Swann?" He asked, and I nodded. How did this kid know my name? I had never seen him before in my life! I don't know how he found me or who this kid was, but I was only an arm-length away from the phone to call the cops. I realized what I was doing if I called the cops. I was calling the cops on a nine-to-ten year old. Maybe he had a perfectly good reason for being here. I highly doubted it, but I might as well let him explain himself.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"You gave up a baby ten years ago for adoption. I'm that baby." He said, and I took a look at him. He didn't look anything like me, but he certainly looked like Neal.

_No. _I forced the thought out of my head. _This can't be your kid. The world is playing a cruel joke on you. _

"Look. I have a special ability, call it a super power. I can tell when anyone is lying to me. And you kid…" I trailed off, evaluating everything about him. The way he had a backpack, the giant book he was carrying, and the desperate way he was talking to me. I had to assess my options. I thought he was lying. Anyone can go on an adoption website and see records. This kid was just messing with me.

"Are. I'm calling the cops." I said, finishing my sentence. I picked up the phone, dialed 9-1-1. I was about to hit the green button, but the kid shouted.

"Stop!" The kid cried, and I actually almost put the phone down. Okay, now I swear I was hallucinating, but he sounded like Neal for half a second. Maybe he _was _my kid. Even if he was my kid, I was breaking the law by talking to him. "Just don't call the police." The kid begged. I put the phone down.

"You've got three minutes to explain yourself. Go." I said, and he started talking fast.

"You gave me up for adoption ten years ago. I found you through the internet, and I found your address. I need you to come back with me to my town. If you won't believe that I'm you son, at least drive me home. You can meet my mom, and she'll tell you." The kid reasoned, and I caved. If it would get him out of my apartment, then I would do anything. How far away can the kid live?

"Fine. Where do you live?" I asked, although I knew the answer. Maybe they moved or something? I got out of my hometown faster than you could blink. I'm pretty sure my car actually kicked up dust from the asphalt.

"Storybrook, Maine." He answered, and I almost collapsed.

"Storybrook? You have to be kidding." I said, not wanting to reveal anything. I couldn't have him know that I lived there.

"Nope." The kid said and shook his head.

"Let's go, kid." I said, slipping on more sensible shoes. I couldn't exactly drive in bare feet. I found the bug and we started driving away from the city lights of Boston, into a place I swore I'd never go back to.

"My name's not kid, it's Henry." He said, looking down at his giant book. I looked over at what he was reading, and saw a picture of black-haired woman in a white wedding dress. My heart almost shuddered to a stop right then and there. That was the book I had when I was younger. How had Henry found that book? My dad hid it so well that _I _never found it, so how did Henry?

"Whatcha reading there:" I asked, already knowing the answer, and Henry looked up.

"It's all about fairy tale characters." He said, and just went back to reading. The rest of the ride passed without another comment about the book from Henry. Besides me swearing at maps under my breath and the occasional direction, Henry was silent, staring out the windshield.

After what seemed like forever, I saw the familiar Storybrook sign, and I took it in. I had never seen it from this angle before. I had never been outside looking into the small town. I drove over the town limits, and entered my childhood town.

Guess it's time for a family reunion. Time to fess up everything that had happened to me over the past ten years to Dad.

**A/N: OOOOOh. Emma's gotta admit she was arrested! The next chapter is going to be based off whay would happen if _I _told my dad what Emma is about to tell her's. This should be very fun to write...**


	15. Chapter 15

**Heyya! I'm back! I've got another chapter for you guys! Are you excited? I told you that this chapter would be based off what my dad would do if I told him I had gotten arrested, and that should make it doubly interesting for you guys... Here it is!**

Emma's POV

Chapter 15

It was dark when I drove back into Storybrook. I don't know what I expected to see, but this was certainly not it. There wasn't much of a night life when I was a teenager, that was one of the reasons I left. I got so _bored_. Even then, Granny's Diner was lit up, and there were a few stores open. There wasn't any visible light except the traffic light. It was still nearly ancient, as everything in this town was. I stopped in the town square, unsure where to go next.

"Okay, Henry. " I said as I stepped on the brakes. "Where do you live?"

"Please don't take me back there!" Henry begged, and I wasn;t in the mood to take no for an answer. It was late, I had been driving for forever because this kid wanted to prove that he was my son. He wanted me to meet his mom, and now he won't tell me where he lives? What was Henry's problem.

"Look, I'm tired, you have to go to bed. It's almost…" I looked up at the clock. It was still stuck at eight fifteen, just like it's always been. That fact didn't register in my head since I was so exhausted. "Eight fifteen?" I asked in stupor.

"That clock hasn't moved my whole life." Henry said, almost sounding sad.

"Kid, you have to go home, and I have to get back to Boston. Now where do you live?" I asked again, and he sighed.

"Biggest house down that street." Henry said, and something from my childhood clicked in my head.

"The Mayor's house?" I asked, and he nodded. "God, I might be convicted of kidnapping the Mayor's kid." I realized, muttering to myself.

Henry got back in the bug, and I followed him. The sooner I got this kid home, the sooner I could get out of this town again. There was no way that I could drive all the way back to Boston tonight. I was just too tired. I'd probably crash into some car on the highway, and cause a huge accident. I couldn't bring any attention to myself. I have had enough attention from the media to last a lifetime for the watch-stealing thing.

I drove down the road, dropped Henry at the house. He knocked on the door, and a crying woman came rushing out. She hugged Henry, and I immediately recognized her. She _was _the adopter I had given Henry to. Maybe he wasn't as crazy as I thought he was. Regina – I think that was her name – broke apart from Henry and looked at me.

"How would you like the best glass of apple cider you ever had?" Regina offered, and I shook my head.

"I really have to get going." I said. Then, I remembered what I had wished for on my candle, and almost laughed at the insanity of it. I had to tell Regina. I was sure she'd think it was as crazy as I did.

"Although, it's weird. I made a wish on this little cupcake I bought myself for my birthday, and I wished that I wouldn't have to be alone. Then, Henry showed up. Crazy, right?" I said, and Regina didn't laugh. She just narrowed her eyes, as if she could shoot lasers out of them.

"I hope you're not mistake this as invitation back into his life. I was told that the birthmother didn't want contact, and I intend to keep it that way. You are breaking the law by even _talking_ to Henry, so I suggest you stay away." Regina threatened, and I felt a sudden surge of anger in me. She couldn't tell me what to do. I was a grown woman, and Henry was my son. I'd talk to him, I don't care about the law.

"Or what?" I challenged, and Regina just turned back to me with a look of pure hatred on her face.

"People haven't forgotten the crime that you committed, especially me. That's how I found you. I saw you on TV. Now, I could make you look pretty bad in this town. And I will, if you don't stay away from Henry." Regina threatened, and suddenly, memories came rushing back to me. This woman said she was my mother when I was six. We got in a car crash. Dad told me never to talk to her again, and I didn't. Now, for lying to me, I had a score to settle with Regina.

In response to her threat, I nodded and turned in the driveway.

_Bring it, Regina_. I thought in my head as I turned on the bug and drove down the street._ I'm not going anywhere_.

.

As I was about to drive out of town, I saw someone walking towards Granny's Diner out of the corner of my eye. I turned my head to see it, and almost crashed into a tree.

_That's a great way to make people remember you, Emma. Just park in the second oak tree to the right. _I thought. I pulled my bug pack onto the road, and parked. The person I saw out of the corner of my eye looked really familiar, but I only saw a split-second of whoever it was. I got out of the bug, slamming the door and walked towards Granny's Diner. Besides, it was too long since I had one of their hamburgers.

I pushed the door open, and everything looked the same. Same tables, same chairs, same old Ruby working behind the counter. Well, not exactly the same Ruby. She had bright red streaks in her hair, and it was straightened.

_Red looks pretty good on her_. I thought. Then, I saw one person sitting alone in a booth, and knew that was the person I had just seen. I looked closer and my eyes focused on their face. I saw my dad, and he didn't look a day older since when I left Storybrook. Actually, now that I think about it, _everyone _looks the same. Even Regina. That's weird.

I pushed that thought out of my head, and sat down in the same booth. Dad didn't say anything for a moment, I was sure he didn't know I was there.

"Hey." I said casually, and he looked up.

"Oh, hey Emma." He said before looking out at the restaurant. I think his mind registered that he hadn't seen me for twelve years, because he turned back towards me and just stared at me for a minute. "Emma!" He exclaimed, and got out of his seat. I got out of the booth and we hugged.

Man, I missed my dad. I missed his sad attempts at cooking, his sometimes strange words of wisdom, and the way he handled everything. Now I was going to break all his trust in me.

"So, what are you doing in Storybrook?" Dad asked.

"Well, it's a long story. This little boy showed up at my door, and it was Henry. And, here's the crazy part… Um… he said he was my son, and it turned out he was right." I couldn't stop. I saw Dad's eyes go wide, and he looked like he was ready to kill me for a second. I just kept going, and saw him take a _really _deep breath. "You see, when I left Storybrook when I turned eighteen, I kind of fell in love with this guy named Neal. We were supposed to move to Tallahassee – and I was going to tell you, I swear – and he got caught for stealing watches. Everyone was looking for him. I said I could go to where they were being hidden since no one was looking for me. He agreed, and I got them. Neal said to meet at nine o'clock, and he put a watch on me." Dad looked like he was _definitely _going to kill me. "And I got arrested. Turns out I was pregnant. I gave the baby up, but I never knew what happened to him. Guess he was Henry." I finished. I was completely prepared to die, prepared for him to scream at me. He took another deep breath, and realized we were in a public place.

"Henry ran away a few days ago, and he's been missing. The Mayor has been running around like a chicken with its head cut off. She's been really worried." Dad explained. "Did you see Henry's book?"

"Yeah, but I never saw the title. It had a really familiar picture though. I think it was the book that you hid from me when I was little." I said, and Dad nodded.

"He found that book about a year ago, and he's become obsessed with something called Operation Cobra. He's trying to make us believe in the curse in his book. He's telling all sorts of people that they're fairy tale characters. A lot of people think Henry is crazy." Dad said.

"How did Henry find it? You hid it from me for so long, and I tried to find it in the house until I was eight. I could never find it." I said, and Dad laughed.

"That's because it wasn't in the house. I hid it in the library, slipped it under the door. I guess Henry somehow got in and found it. Now, let's backtrack a little bit." Dad said, he voice suddenly steely. I braced myself to get yelled at, and I was sadly correct.

"Let's go outside." Dad said, more of an order than a suggestion, and I walked out the door, like a small child. My shoulders hunched, and I sat on the bench outside Granny's. Dad just stood, and he looked angry. I mean _angry_.

"Okay, so you were pregnant, dating a criminal, and got arrested?!" Dad screamed. I was pretty sure Canada could hear him. I shrunk in my seat, but that didn't stop Dad. "I thought _you _of all people would know better than this!"

"Well, I thought-" I tried to defend myself, but Dad cut me off.

"No. I'm talking. Defend yourself when I'm done talking." Dad said, and just kept yelling about how these choices would affect my life, I should've known better, blah, blah, blah. Look, I know I made some mistakes, but I was doing the best to make something out of my life now.

I just kept silent through Dad's yelling at me, and when he was done, I felt so bad about myself that I couldn't even talk. I just told him that I would leave Storybrook in the morning. We went home, and it felt so familiar, so right. If I ran up the stairs blindfolded, I would know exactly where everything in my room was. I could point out my closet, which posters I had on the wall, and where my bed was. True, I always ran into the bedpost, so I could probably even point out the dent I made in the headboard. It was good to be home.

"I'm gonna go to bed. I've been driving forever." I said, and hugged Dad goodnight. I ran up the stairs, and collapsed into bed. I guess I haven't grown since I was eighteen, because I still fit in the bed.

_Tomorrow,_ I thought tiredly. _I'll leave first thing tomorrow_.

**A/N: Did you like it? I think it was pretty good. It's kind of one of my longer chapters. R&R! I only got two reviews! TWO! I don't know if anyone is reading! Review!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Time for another chapter! This one may not be that good, but whatever. You wanted it. **

Emma's POV

Chapter 16

I thrashed the second I woke up in unfamiliar surroundings. I kicked the covers off my bed, threw the pillow across the room, making it hit a picture of me and Dad. What was I doing here? Why wasn't I in Boston?

Suddenly, the events of last night came back to me. Henry knocking at my door and me driving all the way back to Storybrook to get him to go home. I could've stuck him on a bus, but he would've found a way out of it, I just knew it. He was clever enough to get all the way here without attracting suspicion, he could easily stay there without me knowing. I drove him all the way back, and now I was home. I also remembered Dad yelling at me. My stomach sank. I was so tired that the reality of what he was saying didn't really hit me, just glanced off.

I also realized that I hadn't defended myself, hadn't done anything except nod and accept it.

_Well, _I thought. _ I was going to change that today. _I went in the bathroom and brushed my teeth and hair. He still had my brand of toothpaste, I realized.

_Weird. _I said as I reached for the unopened tube. It's like he always knew that I was coming back. I also realized that my room was still in order, and that everything that belonged to me had remained untouched. The smell of pancakes drifted up the stairs, and my mouth watered. I hadn't eaten since lunch yesterday. Well, I _did _have one bite of a cupcake, but I don't really count that. I barely restrained myself from running down the stairs at top speed like a four year old based on one fact. Dad couldn't cook. He never could, and he never would be able to.

I was totally set on defending myself the second I got in the kitchen, but I took a look around and remembered the last thing that had happened in this kitchen. It was the night I left, and it didn't end well…

_Flashback_

_ Third Person POV_

_"Look, Dad, I just want to get out of this town! I want to see the world! I can't _stand _this place anymore!" Emma screamed, gesturing to the ceiling of the kitchen, the town everything. There was only so much small town living that someone could take. _

_ "What would you do, Emma? You were never great in school, and no colleges accepted you! What are you going to do once you leave? Get a job? Emma, you can't even make a resume!" Charming screamed back, slamming plates in the sink, causing one to crack. _

_ "I-I'll find Mom!" Emma stuttered, looking for another reason to leave. _

_ "Emma, your mom is long gone! I have no idea where she is, and you and I won't see her for a long time!" Charming said, and Emma shook her head._

_ "We've gone long enough without her! It's time to find her and get her back!" Emma said, but Charming just shook his head. It was stupid of Emma to think that she could possibly find her mother. Charming had been looking for years, and at least he knew that she had to be here somewhere. Unless… she died. No, it wasn't possible. Snow couldn't be dead. _

_ "Emma, you'll never find your mother out in the world. Trust me on that." Charming said, his tone calmer. Maybe that would calm Emma down. _

_ "And how would you know? You've never been anywhere outside this stupid town! You've never seen Paris, you've never been to the Grand Canyon. So much exists outside this town, but you refuse to get out and see it!" Emma said. "You may be afraid of the world, but I'm not." _

_ Emma left the house, slamming the door. The house shook with the force of it, and for a moment everything held suspended in silence. Charming was stunned. His daughter never talked to him like that before. _

_ When Emma was in her ratty, old car, she thought that the worst part was that her father never chased her down to stop her. Never_.

.

_It's not like we need _that _first thing in the morning_. Emma thought as she descended the stairs. _I'll just let it go. He was always over protective of me. _

"Morning, Emma." Dad said, patiently waiting in front of the microwave. That's right, he _nuked _his breakfast. I could tell it was an egg sandwich, because that's what he always did to cook it.

"Hey, Dad." I said.

"How did you sleep?" He asked, and I sighed. It was like I was eighteen again, and he was still taking care of me.

"Good." I said. Awkward silence followed. "Um… I should probably get going back home. Thanks for letting me stay for the night, Dad."

"You going home might not be the best idea. For now, anyway." Dad said.

"Why not?" I asked.

"Well, you just got home. Don't want to stay for a little while, see how the town changed?" Dad asked, and I shook my head. I grabbed a plate of Jemima pancakes, and sat down at the table. I placed one forkful of pancake in my mouth.

"Doesn't look Storybrook's changed much." I said while chewing. It was a bad habit I picked up from living in the city. Everyone was moving around so fast and living so quickly that I didn't even have the time to swallow my food and answer. I just had to answer any question at any time I could. Dad obviously didn't know this, and just looked away.

"Also, you just met your… son." Dad tried, having trouble getting _son_ out. I guess that's expected. "Don't you want to get to know him?"

"I guess." I said, not seeing any winning situation. If I said no, then I would look like the same heartless motherthat _my _mother was. I wouldn't be that kind of person to my child after he went through so much trouble to find me. I specifically wanted no contact, and he found me anyway.

Judging by how much time I missed with Henry that he wanted to make up by finding me, I was going to be in Storybrook for a while.

**A/N: I just decided to call Emma's da Charming because it was a third person POV. she still doesn't know who he is... R&R!**


	17. Chapter 17

**I'm back! With another chapter! Just a quick shoutout to jcat30: Charming was just trying to protect Emma in chapter 4... he doesn't think she could handle the responsibility when she was six, so he thought it would be better to deny it and try to tell her when she was older. A little dysfunctional, but no family is normal. **

**So here's the chapter! **

Henry's POV

Chapter 17

I looked out my bedroom window into the sunlight like I had done for the entire night last night. First of all, I had found my mother. Not my adopted mother, the one that didn't love me, but my _birthmother. _It's kind of hard to just lay down and go to sleep after a discovery like that.I had been looking for her for what seems like forever. Now that I saw her, I saw the connection in my book. Emma was the savior. She had to believe, soon. People can only hold on to memories for so long, right? What if someone who spent a long time under the curse completely forgot who they were.

_It's been twenty eight years_. I thought, looking at my book. _People can only hold out for so long_.

Last night, I glanced at the clock that stood in the town square, and something incredible happened. For the first time in my life, the clock moved. The minute hand jerked to eight sixteen. Then, it happened again. And again. I watched the clock until it read nine thirty. The hands just kept moving, in constant pursuit of each other.

I fell asleep at my window, and had woken up just seconds ago. I noticed that something familiar had been missing. My book. I don't know who would've stolen it, or who would've broken into my house to get it. Everyone in town thought it was just a book of fairytales, why would someone take it. I ran downstairs, and sighed in relief. There it was, sitting on the dining room table. I picked it up and hugged it to my chest. Everyone in the town might think I'm crazy, but this book is the only proof I have that I'm not. I've tried showing it to people, but they just dismiss it. It aggravates me. But soon, I was going to show Emma and she would believe. She would save everyone and they'd all know I was right.

_I should just go show her right now_. I said, and set out towards Emma's house. I didn't know if she was staying there or not, but her dad probably would. Emma's dad is another on of the few that remember who he was. He was Prince Charming, and his curse was to watch his true love, Snow White, for twenty eight years without her knowing who he was. I walked all the way to Emma's house, not knowing what to expect. I was pretty sure she didn't leave, because I didn't hear about a car crash involving a yellow bug. It was somewhat reassuring.

I knocked on the door. I started doubting myself. Emma's bug was in the driveway, so I knew she was there, but she didn't answer. No one answered the door. I just stood there for about ten minutes, holding my book.

Those were the most terrifying ten minutes of my life.

_Maybe she's not answering the door because she's busy_. I reasoned, but it didn't make much sense. Then, darker thoughts crept into my head.

_Maybe she's not answering because she doesn't want to talk to you_. I thought. _She gave you up. You meant nothing to her. _

My stomach sank. My adoptive mom already was never home and hated me. I wanted to believe that there was someone out there that loved me at some point. I needed to believe it. It was what kept me somewhat sane. Now, these thoughts were interfering with that.

_Your adoptive mom doesn't want you, and neither does your birthmom. Get over it. Nobody wants you. _I realized. The thoughts seemed to come out of the darkest places of my mind, places that I didn't want to know about. _Why would you even think that someone would love you? You're just a waste of space. A crazy, delusional waste of space. _

Tears formed in my eyes, and I was still standing at the doorstep in front of a closed door. One that I thought would never open. I slammed my book on the doorstep, making a loud thud that seemed silent. I couldn't hear anything but my feet pounding on the driveway as I ran away/

_It's not far_. I convinced myself. _Just keep going until you get there_.

I knew exactly where I was going, though I seemed like a crazed maniac. I pushed through crowds of people in the street, all of them giving me looks. _He's crazy. _Their faces read. _What could possibly go so wrong with him_?

_Let them think whatever they want_. I thought bitterly, but just kept running.

I finally reached my destination after a few minutes of running. I reached the town limits.

**A/N: Oooo... What is Henry going to do?! Frankly I don't even know, I just kind of wrote this chapter really quickly, and I don't even know where it's going at this point. I might end this fanfiction when Emma breaks the curse, and I might do a time skip soon... R&R!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Hi! I'm back! I'm sorry I haven't been able to post anything over the weekend, but i was super busy. I was in a play that performed four days straight, and on Saturday I had to tutor a fifth grader that couldn't read... Yeah, It's weird, i know. **

**Anyway, here's the chapter!**

Emma's POV

Chapter 18

I heard a thud as I unloaded the ancient dishwasher. I had found out that being back home also meant chores. And since I was older than I was before I left, it also meant _more _chores. Weirdly enough, I had never learned how to worked the dishwasher, so I just pressed buttons and hoped something happened. Every time I pushed the wrong button, it would beepin protest, as if to say: _Emma, you did it wrong_. The machine would mock me for a few minutes with continuous beeping before it would stop and I would stare at the buttons, wondering which one to push. The just repeat the cycle. I kept trying to work the dishwasher for about an hour, and it kept fighting me. I'm pretty sure Dad left the house just to escape the beeping.

The worst part was, once I got it working it was _loud_. Like, I went upstairs and put a pillow over my head and I could still hear it. That loud. I felt like a meteor could've hit Earth and I wouldn't have heard it.

The dishwasher's dull roar suddenly stopped, and it rung in my ears for a minute before I realized it stopped.

"Thank God!" I said and raced to unload it. When the dishwasher was almost unloaded, I heard a thud like something was being thrown against a wall. It sounded heavier than eggs, so I knew that someone wasn't egging my house. Plus, they'd have to be complete idiots to throw eggs in complete daylight. I went to open the door, and saw that no one was there. I was about to close the door when something shiny and gold caught my eye. I looked down to see the gold lettering of _Once Upon A Time _staring up at me. What was this doing here? The last person who had this was Henry, and I hadn't seen him since last night. Did Henry come here? It seemed like the only logical explanation. So, where was he now?

I knew something about finding people. Everyone leaves something behind carelessly, no matter how careful they are. Something is always there, and it always leads to that person.

_ It rains a lot here_. I realized. _Look for footprints_.

I walked off the porch, and immediately found what I was looking for. Prints that were clearly outlined in the ever-present mud shone like a beacon. From the distance between footprints, he could've been running. I also saw the same footprints that went towards my house. Henry had come to my house and left, I knew that for that for sure. But why?

I sighed and followed the footprints. They led all the way into town, but then they stopped. Well, actually, they went on for a few steps as just mud on concrete, but I guess all the mud wore off. I could judge the general direction he was going, though. There was only one intersect in the main street, and if Henry went where I thought he did, then he would've gone straight. I walked past the intersect. I would be there soon. Five minutes at least.

On the outside, I was cool and confident, as if I knew exactly what I was doing. On the inside, I was screaming like a child.

_Leave! _The child in me screamed. _Get out of here! _

I just kept walking. Four minutes.

_Why would Henry go _here _of all places? _I wondered. Why wouldn't he just go home?

Three minutes. '

I took a deep breath, and just kept walking. Henry was in trouble if he was where I thought he was. I had tried to leave a few times, and every single time I left with Dad or a babysitter or even a friend, something horrible would happen. A car crash, a bear attacking the car, something. I couldn't let Henry face that.

_But you're not his mom_. I realized, but then I also realized that I didn't care. Regina wasn't going to do anything about it. She probably didn't even notice that Henry was out.

If Regina wasn't going to help him, then I would.

Just then, I arrived at the town limits where I saw a defenseless Henry standing in the middle of the dirt road, and a bus coming at him.

**A/N: Yeah, I know it's short. I'm really trying here, guys, but i need your suggestions unless you want me to do a time skip next chapter and end this. If i do end this fanfic *dies inside*, then I might be doing another one. I had such a great turnout to this one that i might do a book series next time... but if you want this one to continue, R&R and suggest things! **


	19. Chapter 19

**I'VE RETURNED. I'm quite proud of myself for making two chapters in one day... I really need a life. I was just out, but I'm back now.**

**Here's the chappie! :)**

Emma's POV

Chapter 19

Before I could even think, I was running at Henry. I had to get him out of the way. I pushed him off the road, and we both flew into the woods at top speed on the other side of the road. Henry was pale, shaking, and terrified, but breathing. I stood up, but Henry just kept sitting as if he was surprised he wasn't dead. There was a sudden rush of relief which was quickly swept away by a surprising anger.

"Are you crazy?!" I yelled, completely out of control. "What were you trying to accomplish by jumping in front of a bus? Do you _know _how stupid that is?"

"I-I-" Henry started, but I cut him off. I was too angry and in shock to really stop yelling.

"No. You don't talk. I'm talking." I said, my blood almost singing with fury. "Didn't you know better than to stop walking when a bus is coming?"

_Oh my God_. I realized. _I sound just like Dad_.

Henry just looked at the ground, as if what he had done had finally sunk in with him. He had almost died. If I hadn't been there… No. I refused to think about it.

"I can't believe that you'd do this. It's just against common sense!" I stopped, and took a deep breath. I saw that Henry was looking at the ground, shoulders hunched. I sighed. Maybe I shouldn't be so harsh on the kid. After all, he was my son… kind of. Also, I wanted to know why he jumped in front of a bus. Maybe it might be things in perspective. I didn't want to see him upset.

"Sorry, kid. I'm just kind of shocked." I said, and Henry looked up at me confused. It looked he wasn't used to having people who were yelling at him apologizing. He just sat there silent, so I continued.

"Can you tell me _why _you suddenly had a death wish?" I asked, and Henry stood up.

"It's a long story." He said solemnly.

"Well, we've got a lot of time left in the day." I said.

"I came to find you because I know my mom doesn't love me. I know she secretly hated me, and that would tear me apart. When she told me I was adopted, I just couldn't stop looking. I had to convince myself that someone out there loved me. I kept telling myself that until it was basically true. Then, you came back to Storybrook with me, and I thought that you would be staying forever. That you'd be my mom. After you dropped me off, the clock started to move. True, it wasn't the right time, but it was good enough. I thought that you were staying forever, and maybe you'd love me." Henry admitted, and my heart clenched in my chest. I said something real intelligent along the lines of "uh…"

"Then, I went to show you something in my book, and you didn't answer the door. I saw your car in the driveway, and I guessed you were ignoring me. I mean, you never wanted me in the first place, right? Why would you want me now?" Henry sped up, and I couldn't even think. "Then I figured no one liked me. Everyone in this town thinks I'm crazy anyway. I know there's a bus that comes every once in a while, and it was way too big to see a ten year old. I thought… no one would miss me."

I finally regained my voice.

"Henry, people would miss you. You ran away for a few days, and your mom was crazy with worry. Dad said she ran around like a chicken with her head cut off. You ever heard that expression?" I asked, and Henry shook his head.

"It doesn't matter. I know that she _does _love you, Henry. Otherwise she wouldn't have adopted you in the first place." I reassured him, but Henry just denied it.

"No. She adopted me to get back at you. It all makes sense in the book. She's the evil queen, and she created the curse. You're supposed to break it, so when she found you adopting off a baby… I guess it was a win-win for her." Henry speculated. I had to see this part for myself before I could deny anything anymore. I started to see things through Henry's point of view. I imagined what would happen if I found _my _mother, and she completely gave the cold shoulder. I would be _pretty _upset. Growing up, I had found out that no matter how awesome a father that spoiled you rotten was, he couldn't substitute for a mom. A person you love more than anything. I got it. I completely got it.

I wanted to see this book again. I loved it for the short time I had it, and I haven't seen it more than twenty years. Besides, if it could get this kid out of the way of oncoming traffic, I'd try anything.

"How about…" I said, formulating a plan in my head. "We get out of the forest, and back into town. You can show me whatever you want to in your book, and then we'll go to Granny's for lunch?" I suggested, and as if on cue, my stomach grumbled.

"This saving lives thing makes a girl crave a burger. What can I say?" I smiled, going for witty. I had always sucked at being witty, but Henry just smiled and nodded. When it comes down to it, I can be pretty good at this stuff.

"Can we just run back to your house to get the book?" Henry asked, and I nodded. He smiled, and we started walking out of the forest, back towards civilization.

"I just have to know one thing, Emma." Henry stopped walking in his tracks.

"Shoot." I said.

"Why did you give me up?" Henry asked, and I took a deep breath. I don't know if he was ready to deal with the fact that his mother dated a criminal, and ended up in prison for possession of stolen property. He wasn't ready to deal with how he was ripped away from me, and it felt someone was ripping my heart out of my chest. _I _wasn't ready to deal with that.

"That, kid, is an even longer story than yours." I said, and Henry stayed silent.

"Will you tell me someday? Someday soon?" He asked, and I nodded.

"Real soon. I promise." I said, and we kept walking. Soon, I looked back, and the town sign was just an outline, something left behind. I smiled. I could leave that place alone for the rest of my life.

**A/N: Did you guys like it? I feel so stupid for suggesting that i would cancel this fanfic. Of course, it will be finished eventually, but I'm a sucker for a happy ending. Sorry for the heart attacks. Thanks for all the Reviews, and keep it up :)**


	20. Chapter 20

**Nothing excuses my behavior. Nothing. I'm sosososososo sorry. Personal things came up, and I've been kinda busy. So it took me a week to write this chapter, but it might suck. I'll do a time skip next chapter. **

Emma's POV

Chapter 20

One hamburger for me and one hot cocoa for Henry later, we sat in the booth at Granny's, and Henry pulled out his book. It seemed even bigger than when I had it. I wonder what he had to show me that I had forgotten. It had been so long since I read that book. I remembered there was a baby in it, but that's about it.

"Okay. Now what is this book about?" I prompted.

"It's about why Storybrook was created. And who made it." Henry said the last part quietly, as if he was ashamed of it. "It's all about fairytale characters."

"Like…" I trailed off, trying to think of some of the Disney movies I watched as a kid. "the Princesses and stuff like that?" I couldn't think of one Princess, but everywhere I looked as an adult in the city, I saw Princess-themed parties for little girls. There was always Cinderella, Ariel, and Snow White on _everything_.

"Yeah. Except they all have back stories. Snow White, for example." Henry flipped to a page with a girl with dark hair, a pale face, and a bow clutched in her hand with a quiver of arrows slung over her shoulder.

"Well, she's not exactly singing to birds to make them clean for her." I said, which was all I could basically comprehend.

"Snow White ran away from the castle, lived out in the woods with seven dwarves." Henry said.

"Okay. This follows the Disney version so far… Where does the bow and arrows come in?" I asked.

"Well, they were Snow White's weapon of choice. When she lived out in the woods, she wanted to forget about Prince Charming, because he was engaged to another princess. It's really complicated. All of the stories cross at one point or another. Red Riding Hood was Snow White's best friend, and you even learn why Snow White's evil stepmother is the way she is. Anyway," Henry flipped through a few more pages, until he came to a picture of a small baby in a white blanket with _Emma _embroidered on the side. "Snow White and Prince Charming had a baby. There was a curse coming, and the only hope was Emma. She was sent through a magic wardrobe that would protect her and one other. Charming went through with Emma, and everyone else ended up with replaced memories. They ended up here, in Storybrook. And you're supposed to be the one that saves them." Henry finished, and I was in minor shock.

"Look, they're all just stories. None of them actually existed, or ever will exist. It's just like telling a lie, Henry. If you write down a lie, it doesn't make it true." I said, my voice of reason coming out.

"But in the front…" Henry flipped to a page with big font. _These characters are real_. It said.

"Another lie." I said, slapping money on the counter of the table. I had enough of this kid's game. He wanted to meet his mother, I was fine with that. He could've just said so, _without _making up a big lie that somehow revolved around my childhood. Maybe I wrote something in the front that said the book belonged to me. I was in that habit around first grade anyway. Maybe that's how he knew. But I was told that those stories were fake. Also, fairytales don't happen in real life.

If fairy tales were real, Neal wouldn't have left. We'd have been able to raise Henry ourselves, and not give him away. We'd be a real family, living the perfect house in Tallahassee, right on the beach.

I only got angrier thinking about it.

Henry sensed that I was upset, and closed the book. The words glittered, almost as if mocking me. I couldn't tell a ten year old that his complete fantasy world was a big, fat, bust. I had already had that happen once, and it sucked. I wasn't going to do that to Henry.

"Henry, just out of curiosity, where did you find that book?" I asked, and Henry pointed to the boarded up library.

"In there. It was just sitting there on the floor, and I wanted to read it." Henry explained. "Something about the cover pulled me in." He got a dazed look on his face, like he was in the library instead of here. "The letters glowed in the dark… like magic."

He shook his head, and he was brought back to the here and now.

"Anyway, sorry. I just thought-"

"Don't be sorry, kid." I said, and hugged him. I felt so horrible for him. First, he thinks his adoptive mother doesn't love him, then his birth mother doesn't love him, and then he tries to explain everything, and I shoot it down immediately. Is this what Regina is like? I could see why he thought she didn't love him.

_I'll never be like Regina._ I promised.\

**A/N: So yeah, that took me a week... Anyway, I'll be back, maybe not tomorrow, but on Saturday!**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: HI I'M NOT DEAD! So, I know a lot of you are probably pissed at me and probably have unfavorited or unfollowed my story, but part the extremely long, unplanned hiatus was that I lost my password and got a new computer, and it didn't recognize me. I was also in a time-consuming musical. So I'm back, yay! (hugs). Read on. I know, a whole season has passed, give me credit given I typed this around six months ago... Please?**

_One Season Later…_

Emma's POV

_Henry's dead. _I thought in disbelief. _My son is dead._

I just stood in the hospital in disbelief, trying to comprehend what had happened. I had only known Henry for a few months, then he was ripped away again. The machines that had previously been going crazy, were completely flatlined. There are no words to describe to what losing a child feels like.

In the back of my mind, I heard Regina crying, but I didn't know what to do. Henry was my son, and he was all I had left to remind me of Neal, but he was his own person. I came to love him, even though I gave him up. Giving up Henry was the worst mistake I ever made in my life. If only I'd believed him, he wouldn't have eaten the apple tart, and he wouldn't be here now. What was I supposed to do? He was gone, he couldn't be saved. I missed out on the only ten years of life that he had. Even though I had only known him for a few months, I had to say goodbye.

"I love you, Henry." I whispered and kissed his forehead. A sudden rush of wind burst out from Henry and I, and I felt everyone around me stagger back. Maybe they were remembering their own lives, or just in shock that I kissed Henry goodbye and Regina didn't. Suddenly, Henry sat up gasping. It was something out of a fairytale, and I guess Henry was right.

"Henry!" I exclaimed, just happy that he was alive. Suddenly. I heard Mother Superior speak to Regina.

"If I were you, Your Majesty, I'd find a place to hide." She said, and I looked at Regina in surprise. What? Your Majesty? Regina basically pushed me out of the way to get to Henry, who was just getting his breathing under control.

"Henry, no matter what you hear, I _do _love you." Regina said hastily, and ran out of the hospital, knocking over Dr. Whale in the process.

"Mom, you saved me." Henry said in disbelief. "I thought you didn't believe."

_He called me Mom. _I realized. I smiled. I also remembered something that Henry told me when I first came to town. He told me that I was the savior, and that I would break the curse. He also told me who my parents were. Snow White and Prince Charming.

"Well, I guess saving people runs in the family. Like father like daughter, right?" I joked, and hugged Henry again. He got out of bed, and the hospital almost started shaking. I heard a rumbling. There was a giant, purple cloud that was covering the town like a blanket. I officially had _no idea _what was going on anymore. I didn't even pretend that I knew what the purple cloud was. I turned to the resident fairytale expert, Henry.

"What is that?" I asked.

"Something bad." Henry answered.

_That's encouraging_. I thought uneasily. The cloud came and shattered glass everywhere. I dropped to the floor, but Henry just stood there dumbstruck.

"Henry! Get down!" I called panicked and shoved him to the ground. Okay, so I wasn't one of the gentlest mothers in the world. My son was in trouble, and even if I hurt him, it would be better than him dying again. A person can only go through that once. As soon as the cloud came, it disappeared. I was so confused.

Everyone cautiously rose cautiously and looked around. Why was everyone still here? According to Henry, when the curse was broken, everyone was supposed to be sent back. After a moment of silence, I still hadn't heard anything from Henry, and I didn't know if he was hurt or not.

"Are you okay, kid?" I asked, and Henry nodded. He stood up, and he looked out the window. Well, what was left of the window.

"Mom, are you ready to go see your mom?" Henry asked smiling like a maniac. My mom? She was here?

"Wonder where she'll be…" I said, daring myself to daydream for the first time in a long time.

"Wherever your dad is, of course." Henry chimed in.

"Why didn't I think of that?" I said, and Henry and I started to walk down the stairs. The town was just recovering, and I saw two people standing in the street hugging. From a distance, I could see that my dad was one of them. So that meant the woman who he was hugging was my… mother.

Henry and I walked over to them, and I was pretty much in complete shock. I just stared at my mom and dad for a minute, not sure what to do. Dad noticed me standing there, and broke apart from my mom and hugged me.

"Emma, thank God you're okay." Dad said.

"Emma?" Mom asked.

"Yeah." I said.

"You did it." Mom said, and pulled me into a big hug. She was starting to cry, so naturally Dad got in on the family hug, too.

"A-and all this time… I just thought… I don't even know. Oh, my God." Mom said, crying into my shoulder. "I thought I'd never see you again."

"Come on, Mom." I tried to joke. "I thought you had more than that in Dad."

"Eh…" Mom said, and I burst out laughing.

"Hey!" I heard Dad exclaim.

"In her defense, you couldn't even cook freaking _Easy Mac_, Dad." I supplied, and Mom looked at Dad in disbelief.

"What part of that don't you understand? Did you just put everything in the microwave for the past twenty-eight years?" She criticized jokingly.

"Basically." I piped up.

"I still love you anyway. I need to teach you to do everyday things, but I'll deal with it." Mom said, smiling. I'd never seen a smile like that from anyone. Henry smiled up at me, and I hugged him.

"You found your family." He stated.

"Henry, _you_ found my family." I said.

"It's so weird." Mary-Margaret stated as she walked into their house. "To know that all this time, you were living _right _down the street, and I had no idea. I mean, I knew who you were, but… wow."

"You were my kindergarten teacher, Mom. Imagine how weird this is for me." I responded.

"I'll never forget that one time I took you to the office and you thought you died because of it." Mom said. That wasn't ringing a bell with me.

"What?" I asked.

"Remember? You went to the office to get picked up, and you got in a car crash. When I heard that, my heart stopped and I had no idea why. I just thought that it was because you were a little kind and…" Mom said. "But it really struck a chord with me."

"I don't remember that. Who picked me up that day?"

Mom looked like she was digging deep into her memories, as if she could almost grasp the name with the face. Then, a look of horror swept across her, her body stiffened up, and she almost couldn't get the word out.

"Regina." She almost whispered. "Oh, God. She tried to leave, didn't she? Oh, God, it's all my fault. I'm so sorry, Emma."

"I-it's okay, Mom. I don't remember that." I said. "I just remember a hospital bed, and lights and beeping. Probably the machines."

"This family reunion thing doing miracles for you without the therapy." Dad said, and Mom turned to face him.

"You're not mad that I almost killed our daughter?" Mom asked, and Dad shook his head.

"You didn't almost kill Emma. _Regina _almost killed Emma." Dad said, and Mom breathed a sigh of relief. I heard Dad mutter something like: "I've had those moments."

**A/N: Yeah, did you like it? I love to harp on how Charming can't cook. Kinda reminds me of my dad. But you guys were really good with leaving comments and messages and stuff last time, so can you do that again? Thanks! **


	22. Chapter 22

**So, it's the end. Yes, you read correctly, I am ending this story. It's not that I think you guys aren't awesome or anything, but I just think that... it's time. All good things must come to an end, and so is this story. I'm sorry, truly I am. **

Emma's POV

Chapter 22

I woke up the next day and realized something truly frightening. I was twenty eight and living with my parents. If that thought doesn't send chills down your spine, something was wrong with you. I mean, it was nice to have Mom around, but still. It was weird.

I walked downstairs to see Mom cooking breakfast, something that smelled like… you know, real food. And even though I would miss the smell of stuff that didn't come in a package, I had to tell them. I also had to ask if they knew anywhere that I could buy, like now.

"Hi." I yawned and made a beeline for the coffeepot. Coffee was more or less my lifeblood. If I didn't have coffee in the morning, just don't even speak to me. I will offend in ways that you won't even understand. And since the goal for today was _not _to look like a small child, I couldn't be yawning like crazy.

"Morning, Emma." Mom said smiling and looked back to whatever she was cooking. I wondered if she got up early enough to make herself breakfast first. Maybe it was just a stupid instinct, but I wanted to make sure that Mom didn't have a problem or anything. I mean, I could almost guarantee that there was in Storybrooke suffering from Post Traumatic Curse Disorder or something, and I wanted to make sure that it wasn't my mom. I kind of just got her, I didn't want her to be broken.

"Did you eat yet?" I asked, noticing that there was only two eggs in the pan, most likely for Dad.

"Emma, there was a point in my life for the seven dwarves… I learned to get up early and eat quickly." Mom said, and Emma almost chuckled. It was so weird, having all those stories to be true. To remember looking at a screen when you were five and then looking at the actual person.

Mom finished cooking the eggs and grabbed a bowl of Cheerio's. I wasn't as high maintenance as Dad, not by a long shot; for God's sake I lived in yellow bug! Dad gratefully took the eggs, and Mom sat down.

"So, tell me everything." Mom stated, and Dad and I just glanced at each other for a minute. Tell her what?

"What? I want to know what Emma was like when she was little!" Mom exclaimed. "I want to know what I missed."

I sat down next to Dad at the kitchen table, and he looked like he was about to say something. Something that would embarrass me. I noticed that he liked to do that at every available possibility.

"Where to start… she never slept as a baby. Every twenty minutes _something _was wrong!" Dad exclaimed. "That is one point in Emma's life where you didn't want to be her mother."

"Wow." I said sarcastically. "Don't hold back!"

"Trust me, I won't." Dad said, and I put cheerio's in my mouth to keep from saying stupid.

"Well, I'm just going to assume that you didn't drop her." Mom said. When she didn't get an immediate response, she put her head in her hands. "Please tell me you didn't drop her, David."

"I put her down for _two seconds _on the edge of the counter. She found it the perfect time to roll over. I thought she was dead for a minute, but she turned out okay!" Dad admitted, and I looked at him in disbelief.

"You dropped me?!" I exclaimed. "It's a good thing you weren't around to hold Henry."

"What else? I don't remember much from holding her for about two seconds." Mom prompted, and a sudden wave of guilt hit me. That's all she knew. Two seconds after I was born?

"I think her first word was dirt," Dad started. I wanted to bury my head in the sand right then and there. I knew where this story was going. "but she couldn't pronounce the 'r', so it was just 'dit'."

Mom chuckled.

"The most ironic thing was that Emma's favorite movie was-" Dad started, but I cut him off. This wasn't happening.

"No! No! You are not telling her that!" I exclaimed. "This isn't happening."

"What did you let her watch?" Mom asked.

"It was a Disney movie. You'll find this hilarious, Mary-Margaret. Emma's favorite movie was _Snow White and the Seven Dwarves_." Dad admitted, and I took a sudden interest in my feet. Mom, meanwhile, burst out laughing.

"You-you really… With all the inaccuracy?" Mom attempted to ask between bouts of laughter.

"I didn't have much to go on, I was four!" I exclaimed, but Mom couldn't control her laughter.

"Fair enough. What else?" Mom asked.

"I used to love that playground down the street." I reminisced. I don't know why, but it always reminded me of a castle. Given everything that's happened lately, I guess it kind of makes sense. I remembered the first time I climbed all the way to the top and just stood on the railing. You weren't supposed to, but it was just… higher. It was always a huge competition, to see who could get there first. We'd sometimes push each other back into the little platform, but never out of the platform. I'll never forget the day that someone pushed August, and he broke his arm. That was a well-learned lesson for all of us.

"Yeah. I remember you used to go there. I thought David was crazy at one point. He asked me if I remembered, and I didn't. Remember that?" Mom asked, and Dad nodded solemnly. "I feel like such an idiot now."

"No offense, Mom, but if you weren't my mother that would sound extremely creepy." I said, and Mom cracked a smile. It wasn't much, but it was a start.

_  
After a couple hours, after catching up Mom on my life – which was surprisingly creepy and helping me to discover just how much of my privacy Dad had invaded –, I sat them down and explained to them why I thought it was strange that I was twenty eight and living with my parents. They glanced at each other, and Mom had my back on this. Thank God.

"David, she can have my old apartment. I won't exactly be using it, and there's no one to buy it." Mom reasoned. Dad looked slightly crestfallen.

"What?" I asked. "Are you scared of getting Empty Nest Syndrome or something?"

"No." Dad said. "I just thought that you'd want to spend some time as a family."

I suddenly was hit with a wave of guilt. I put myself in Dad's shoes for a second. He just got a full family after twenty eight years. And suddenly I was begging to move out. That wasn't fair to anyone in this family. I just wanted to live alone. I was better off alone in my opinion, just like I had been for the past ten years. I really didn't _do _the whole family thing. It's hard, and it's really social. And if anyone who knows me, you're already guessing that _that _spells disaster.

Dad relented to letting me stay in Mom's apartment. So I guess I wasn't even moving out, I was just trading places with Mom. I'll just use the money from the station to pay the rent. That'll make me feel better. Less like I was still living off my parents, even though I kind of was. Whatever.

I was cleaning out my room, which had barely changed since I left, with the papers strewn everywhere and books still stacked up on the bedside table. I wondered where to actually start with this black hole I called a room. I looked around and remembered that most of the important personal things that I would actually like to keep, I always stowed under my bed. I attacked the belly of the beast and reached under the bed. I wasn't really sure what I would find, but I was almost completely positive that it wouldn't affect my health in any way. I reached to the back, and I felt an old piece of paper. It was falling to dust, but it wasn't brand new. It felt somewhere like twenty years old. God, what even _was _that?

I yanked it out, and saw a crude crayon drawing. It was three people, or things that looked remotely like people, but it was strange. One was obviously me, one was obviously Dad, but there was one more figure. I think it was supposed to be a woman, but it was a drawing I made when I was four. I couldn't tell what anything was. I had a vague memory of making this drawing after the first time I read Henry's book. I was wishing for a mom.

"What's that?" I heard Mom ask from behind me.

"Just something that I made when I was little." I tried to hide it.

"I can tell." Mom said. "No offense, but if your drawing skills are still like that, we need to get you some art lessons, just to learn to draw a stick figure."

"I'll just keep packing." I said.

"I came up here to help you. " Mom replied.

"Want to get rid of me that quickly, huh?" I joked, trying to get Mom to laugh. It barely worked. I guess sarcasm existed in Fairytale Land, too.

"Well, we'll be seeing each other more often than we have been." Mom said. "I'm just so sorry."

"About what? We discussed this, _Regina _almost killed me. Not. You." I tried to comfort her, but it really didn't work.

"Not about that." Mom said. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you. For twenty eight years."

"No, I get it. It's okay." I explained. "You were only doing what was best. Besides, I had Dad."

Mom just laughed.

"Did your dad know that you lived in this mess?" Mom said, picking up a piece of homework that was from circa junior year. It was bent and trampled on beyond being somewhat legible, and I hadn't taken calculus in eleven years, so it seemed more like chicken scratches.

"I think he stayed out of here to avoid being suffocated or sucked in by the black hole that is… this." I gestured to my room. I was pretty sure that old homework and laundry held the whole damn room together. Take that away and it'll crumble to pieces.

"Maybe." Mom agreed, and we started on packing. I dragged my suitcase down from the attic after brushing off multiple layers of dust. Since Mom didn't want to pull stuff out from under my bed, she started with the clothes. Most of them were jeans and t-shirts, and they were kind of folded, so all Mom had to do was pick them up and put them in the suitcase.

We packed up the rest of my room, just leaving the bedspread – which I kind of wanted to get rid of – on the metal bed frame that I couldn't move anyway.

Then, Mom drove me to her old apartment, and we hugged.

"Thanks." I said, and Mom smiled at me.

"Just don't forget to come visit." Mom said, and gave me the key. I turned away, and unlocked the green door. I walked in, and it was completely empty, like Mom had already moved out. I looked around and saw a staircase that I thought was pretty cool. Turns out the staircase led to the bedroom, which was also stripped to the bone.

I just put my suitcase on the floor in the bedroom, and went back downstairs and sat on the couch. The sound of silence was actually kind of… pleasant for once.

I went over what had happened to me ever since that online dating disaster. Henry dragging me to Storybrook. Seeing my dad again. Fighting with Regina. Me, breaking a freaking curse that I didn't even believe in. Meeting my mom who I thought was AWOL, and ending up here.

I wondered what would come next.

**A/N: So yes, I am that evil to leave you with that ending. But to ease your pain, I AM starting another one, so... yeah. Wow, I'm gonna miss baby Emma. I'm writing a CS fanfic - Title will possibly be: True Love, Take 2 -so maybe... eh, who am I kidding? I'm going to be sad. Very sad. But yeah, thanks for leaving all the comments, and leave some of what you thought the whole story was like. Your favorite part? Anything. So, see you guys at my next fanfic. **


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